The Sun. — 1858-10-20 (London, England)

THE MUTINY AT MOOLTAN.  What has just occurred in the Punjaub will, we think, still further help to uproot from the mind of the old Indian the insane conceit that we can ever again trust a Sepoy army. At the commencement of the mutiny (May, 1857) the whole of the troops then in the Punjaub were regarded as so disloyal that the great bulk of them were disarmed, and accordingly a heavy force of Europeans has been kept from active service to maintain a guard over some 15,000 mutineers, who only waited the opportunity of becoming murderers. Of these the 62d and 69th N. 1., with a considerable body of native artillerymen, were left at Mooltan under the surveillance of the 3d Bombay Europeans and 150 Royal Artillery. Seeing how vain it was to dream of rearming them, Government had at length resolved to have them disbanded, despatching them to their homes in small parties of twenty at a time. The order was read out on parade, and seemed to afford general satisfaction. A report just after this got into circulation that the measure had been adopted with the view of getting the men detached in parties, and cutting them to pieces on their way to Lahore. On the morning of the 31st August the rumour ran that their apprehensions on this point were such that they had determined not to quit their cantonment. All the guards were put on the alert, and early in the forenoon it became known that an attack had been determined by the mutineers, the firing of the midday gun to be the signal. The 69th, armed with clubs, pieces of wood, fragments of their beds, or anything they could lay their hands on, rushed from their lines howling like fiends, and made direct for the Artillery barracks, their object being to obtain possession of the guns. A volley from the carbines of the artillerymen and drivers made them pause. The native artillerymen and 62d made a dash at the same time towards the stable guard immediately opposite the guns. They managed to possess themselves of a considerable number of muskets, and then joined the 69th. The former corps had gone close up to the Irregular Cavalry, obviously expecting them to join. In place of this they were at once charged and cut to pieces by their expected friends—a squadron afterwards followed in pursuit. By this time the 3d Bombay Europeans were rapidly arriving in parties, when a general fusillade commenced, and the rebels began to decamp in all directions. Three hundred and fifty were at once laid dead on the field ; one hundred were captured and shot. We had not at the same time wholly escaped. At the first burst five men of the Royal Artillery were killed, as was Lieut. Males, a gallant and popular officer, adjutant of the Bombay Europeans, who had pushed ahead of his men, and his revolver missing fire, he was clubbed to death. Brigadier Farquharson and some 15 Europeans were wounded. Some hours seem to have been lost before the pursuit was commenced. Half the fugitives had gone southward in the direction of Bhawulpore, the remainder north-westwards towards Lahore, hemmed in, however, on both sides by the rivers Chenaub and Sutlej bordering the Baree Doab. The pursuing party consisted of detachments of the 6th Irregular Cavalry, 11th Punjaub Infantry, and Mounted Police. The Bhawulpore party, on being hotly pursued, separated into two bodies, 100 of them taking refuge on a marshy island. Here they were watched all night ; next morning 46 were captured, and afterwards executed, twenty-eight were drowned, sixteen escaped for the time, but for the time only. The other portion, about 306, were pushed into a bend in the river. Here they kept together in parties, fighting desperately to the last; 250 were killed or captured; fifty driven into the river ; the whole 400 being thus accounted for. There were about 300 who took the direction of Lahore. They succeeded in crossing the Dewann ah Canal, and took refuge on a recess in the Sutlej ; they managed to escape from this, and were able subsequently to Meat a portion of their 'pursuers. The villagers had now risen to support us in all directions, and on the afternoon of the sth the remainder of the mutineers were surrounded and extinguished. Of the whole 1,431 who were at Mooltan, 450 were disposed of at first, 700 in the pursuit, 1,150 in all; 121 declined to join; the remainder will speedily be accounted for.