The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-08-02
tho condition that they werc to serve only in


ON the condition that they werc to serve only In
Hindustan. Tho regiment refused to embark,
and the Governor General was placed In the
invldlous position OF having to succnmb. The
story srread like wildHre ovor India, and had
a most cnlapltous effect upon discipline
Throughout tho lines and hnts OF the sipnhia
the warmest sympathy was expresse Tor
regiment which thus successfully had deiled
Gov moro eneraL
Then followed tho browning act which
touched to the quick nine-tenths OF tho sirn-
his In the Benlal army. and many OF thoss
serving in tho bombay Presidency. 1t Is to I, Q
noted TINT the siDahis serving in Madras were
not affected by 1t. and that. when tho storm,
came In 1851 they took no part la the rsvolt
What occurred may DO thus stated: Tho mr.
jorty OF tho sipnhis serving In tho Bengal
Presidency ind n part OF those serving In the
Bombay army were recruited from the king
dom OF Oudh. The soldiers sn recruited pos.
Sc sod tie right OF petl.ionnR the British
Resident at the Court OF Lakhnao Nv ckn,w
on all matters affecting his own interests and
those OF his family in ths uudh dominion
This right OF petition was a privilege highly
valued. because tho Resident a. LaLhnao
would 10. in tho eyes OF native judge. tho ad.
vocate OF tho patitioning sipahi. The n,ivan.
was SO eat that thcro was scarcely family
In Cudh unreprescn OIL In .he native army.
All at orcs this privilege was swert away
The Britain Govcrnm mt hal decide IA
annex Onlh. Col. Malleson was IN eve wilt.
ness OF the agitation which prevailed among
the stpahis whom tho purpose was made
known. Tho annexation OF Ou,lh was felt IA a
personal blow b. almost every sipahi ia the
Bengal army. because II derived him OF All
immemorlal privilege eSerc sod by himself
and bv his foiofathers. and which secured Ia
him position OF influence uni impor ancs III
his own country. With the uhrexation that
inheritance md influence disappeared. Ing
lish officials succeeded the native judges: tbs
right of petition was abolished: the great In
ducemont 20 enlist vanished. There remained
IN inveterate. MI .ucrvasive, and truculen:
hatred witch was to ind vent in tho mutIny.
We should add that tho annexation
OF Oudh was not moro rAininbo Ia
tho larG" landowners thnn to the
sipal;s The officers to whom tho Govern
mont OF India conflded tho ndministrn'i ion
OF the newly Incorporated province had been
trained In a school which AIMED to ehgraft
Western ideas upon an Esstein people. and
had done Its boa, in the nortawes, provinces
to abolish landlordism in the snse In which
landlordt... had ihere rouiished snre tho
time OF bkoAr The outcome W these revoiu-
tlonary Proceedings was revealed 10 1857 In
the complete sympathy Displayed by Tho civil
districts in The northwest province, with III,
royotod sipahis. it was also shown In Oudh
by tho rising OF tho landowners throughout
tho province.
The events here enumerated had. by 1856.
wrought the minds Of the sipahls to fever heat.
They had lost fni,h in tho Government they
III
quarters hni deprived them OF nll respect for
their immediate officers. They were ready TO
be practised uron by any schooner. They were
in the pe turbed condition which disnoses
men to believe any assertion. however i'm prob
Able in itself.
There wero not wanting men to FIRE tho tin
der thus prepared. There was no lack OF con-
spirators to work upon 30 promising a soil.
Diecontent was seething not only In Oudh and
IN tho northwest provinces, revoutionized BY
the introduction OF tho Thomason land tenure
system. but also in tho southern Maratha Ter
ritory. tho chiefs OF which had been exasper-
atel TO the very verge OF revolt BY an inquiry
into the titles o: estates which thcy and their
forefathers had held without question sin .
the beginning OF tho century. Suddenly. after
the annexation OF Oudh. this seethlne dtscon-
tent found expression. Who all tho active con.
splrators were will probably never be known.
One OF them unquestlonably was he who. dur
ing tho progress Of the mutiny WINS known as
the Maulavi. This was very remarkable man.
His name was Ahmad- ulat,. and his native
place was FRizabad. In Oudh. In person he
was tail. lean. and muscular. with large deep
set cys.. beetle brows. high n1uiline nose.
mud lantern Jaws. Ono who had the bet
means OF judging described him as man Of
Rrent abilities. or undauntel courage
Of stern determination. and by far the
best soldier among the rebels. Such was
tho man selected to sow throughout India the
seeds which, at given signal should spring in
to virulent growth. IT is known that very soon
after the annexation Of Oudh he travelled
ovor the northwest provinces on q mission
which was yste,y to the European author.
tiles; that he stayed some Time at Agra. visited
Delhi Delhi). Mira,h. Patna. and Calcutta. and
that in April. 1857. shortly after his return. no
circulated ssdtious papers throughout Oudh
The police did not nrrest him. The executive
at Lakhnao. however. alarmed Mt his rrosress
despatched body OF troops to seize him {:
taken prisoner he was tried and condemned
to death. but. before the sentence could be
executed. the mutny broke our. Then oscar.
ing. he became tho n!ldential friend OF the Be-
gum OF Lakhnao the trusted leader OF the rsbels.
That this man. the Maulavt was the brain and
tho hand OF the conspiracy. Col. Malleson has
but little doubt During his travels he devised
u scheme known as the cha patti plan.
Chabatis are cakes Of un'eavened brend
tho circulation OF which from hand
10 hand 10 easy and causes no suspi-
c!on. The great hope OF tho Maulavi
WAS to work upon the minds OF tho sipanis.
already prone to discomfort. When the means
OF influencing tho armed men In the service OF
the British Government should have been so
maturrd that on a given signal they would DO
prepared 10 rise simult ane ously. the circula.
tlon OF chapatis among the rural population
Of the northwest provinces would apprise
them that \ great insurrectiun was on the eve
OF taking place. 1t Is probable that while he
was Mt Calcutta the Maulavi discovered the
instrument which would Aot with certain
effect on the already excited minds Of the
native solliers 1t happened that, shortly
before. the Government of India had author.
lied tho introduction OF q new cartridge, the
exterior OF which WAS smea rad with af m,