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No. 395, October 17,1857.] THE LEAD EB. ...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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The Indian Hevolt. A Somewhat Brighter A...
advances against Government paper or bills having more than thirty days to ran . " A letter from a native who has been an Delhi gives a fearful account of the state of things . there , large bodies of the rebels are said to be deserting ; the commanding officers are opposing each other ; the streets are filled with the wounded ; , and the bazaars are intolerable . In the neighbourhood of Agra there lias been a fight between the militia and the collectors of revenue . The latter : ire said to have appropriated the Government taxes to their own use and that of the so-called King of JDelhi . In the encounter with the militia , they were ' defeated , and several were captured ot killed . ¦
The Santals arc perfectly quiet , and are engaged in agriculture . Major llasell , of the 48 th Native Infantry , has , by the authority of Government , departed tor Assam , in order to raise soldiers there . Symptoms of an outbreak , however , have shown themselves . in that , country . r E \\ Q-I'lnylisftman mentions that , on the withdrawal of the Jiritish from the district of Goruckpore , the standard of the Prophet was planted , and the place taken possession of in the name of the King of Oude . A Benares letter of the 2-lth ult . informs the same journal that an engagement between the Ghoorlcas from Goruekpore and a body of Mussulmans took place north of Azimglrur on the 19 th . Three . hundred were killed and wounded , after a severe contest .
The Gwalior Contingent is now positively stated to have deposed the Maharajah JSeindia , and to have placed a prince of the Delhi family on the throne . The aspect of the Mussulmans at Calcutta during the Mohurrum was so threatening that volunteers were stationed at the public places with guns . No disturbance , however , ensued , though the Mahoinetai is were allowed their usual processions . Sir James Outram has resolved to leave the uncontrolled control of the measures adopted for the relief of Liuckno-w in the hands of General Iluvelock . In their sally from the fort , the besieged sprang a mine under a battery of the assailants , and iniheted on them a severe loss . The mutineers have entrenched themselves on the bank of the Ganges opposite Cawnpore , and are provided with heavy guns .
AVe find the subjoined statement in the leading columns of the Mominrj Star , but do not , of course , commit ourselves either to its accuracy ox the reverse : — " None of the Indian newspapers which have come to hand make mention of the continued anxiety that existed at 3 Iudras . One fact , however , we may here state , though we . receive it onl y by private advices , but of its truth there can be no doubt . A ha * ty message was received at Madras in the middle of one night before the departure of the mail , and the consequence was that , early in the morning , two hundred and forty men of the Queen ' s l . ' fnl IJegiinent , accompanied with two guns and hor . se artillery , started for Vollorc , the place where mutiny ha < l to be suppressed lifiy years ago . The probability 5 s that the services of thi . s force : were needed , not to suppress military disorder , but to awe a multitude of people of an insiiireetionarv disposition . "
Instructions lmvc been drawn up by the Govornor-CJeneral and Council relative to the treatment of mutineers , deserter * , : m < l oilier persons concerned in the recent and present disturbances . In thotto instructions \ vu read : — . " Lewi measures of extreme severity should bo too hnstily resorted to , or carried too far , his Lordship in Council iliinks it right to i . s-ue detailed instructions on this subject , by which all civil oHieer . s will be guided in tlie I'xiMvis , ; of their powers iu the cases of mutineers , deserter .: ., anil rebels . '' There is reason to believe ( hat in some , even of tlio . Mj native lvgiuiunta whose revolt lia . s been stained by tlie most . sanguinary atrocities , some men nuiy havo distinguished tbein .-elves iVoin the mass by proteel ing an officer , hi . sniuo such cases nu-n of very guilty regiments possess ccrtilieates in their favour from ollicvrs of their
regiments ; but then : may be others equally dei . rving of clem ency who are without any such ready means ot clearing themselves from the presumptive evidence ol their deep tfuilr . "Where the number of men guihy of what , it is iinliossil . lii u , pardoii is so / jivul , llm ' < JovoriiuK'iit will gladl y > m- ' v / . h every opportunity of reducing tin : work ol ri'tnbulioii before- it , by s ^ viu ' i- ; a freu pardon to all who cun show that they havo u claim to ineivy on thin grouiul , provided they have , not been guilty of : iny heiiious ci-inio against , person or properly , or aided or Hl'etloil others in the commission of any such crime .
" ¦ is uiulerstooil that , in regiments which mutinied , ^ d loi ' t lu ; most i » irt wenl . over to Ilie rebels , without "urderiny ; ( heir ollicers or conimil tin . ¦ ¦ any ot her muhfemtlliry ( IU ( ra , r ,. 1 l , en , Wl ,,, j m , ^ , l ; , [ , [„ . ; , ,, L ( o l ,, , » iM no heart in tins revolt , though they failed in their lu'y an soldiers , and wlio have evinced their peaecnblu '" M'l'Mlion , and their want ol ' s \ inpatby with those who no mw aviiiimI in open re . l lelliou an ' uinst the . ( Jovera-»» cnt , b y ( li .-iperrtiii . ; ( o their villages w heu ( hit regiment uroke up . , and mixing quietl y with thi ) rural population ,
It is desirable to treat such men with all reasonable leniency . " No native officer or soldier , belonging to a legiment ¦ which has not mutinied , is to be punished by the civil power as a mere deserter , unless he be found or apprehended "with , arms in his possession . Every mutineer or deserter -who may be taken before or apprehended by the civil authorities , and who maybe found to belong to a " regiment which killed , any European officer , or other European , or committed any other sanguinary
outrage , may be tried and punished by the civil power . If the prisoner can show that be was not present at the murder or other outrage , or , if present , that he did his utmost to prevent it , full particulars of the case should be reported , to Government in the Military Department before the sentence , whatever it be , is carried into effect . The Governor-General in Council is anxious to prevent measures of extreme severity being unnecessarily resorted to , or carried to excess , or applied without due discrimination , in regard to acts of rebellion committed by persons not mutineers . "
Lord Canning has refused to accede to a petition requesting him to establish martial law . Some official particulars have been communicated from Calcutta ( September 9 th ) to the East India House . They run thus : —
" GE . VKUAL . IIAVKI . OCIv S COLUMN AND LITCKNOW . " General Ilavelock was still at Cawnpore [ at the date of tlie despatch ] , waiting for reinforcements , and Lucknow still unrelieved . Tho 90 th Regiment , about half the fusiliers , and a 9-pound battery , in all 1270 men , were at Allahabad on the 3 rd or 4 th . Six hundred infantry and the battery were immediately pushed towards Cawnpore , and General Outram was to follow with the remainder of the infantry on the night . of the 5 th inst . He expects to join Havelock on the 11 th or 12 th , and has directed the latter to lave everything ready for crossing the river on bis arrival . Meanwhile , we have intelligence from Lueknow up to the 2 nd inst ., when the garrison were in good spirits , and sufficiently provided with food . The 3 ' had recently repulsed a determined assault , and had disabled the only heavy guns belonging to the assailants . " The garrison have been told to liold out to extremity , and were now confident that they will be relieved about the middle of this month . "BENGAL AND BEIIAK . " The liewah troops detached , as reported in last message , to intercept the Dinapore mutineers , were not in time to arrest their progress ; the latter crossed the To rise River about the iJOth ult ., after some detention by high floods , and their march has been marked by plunder . They give out that they are going to Delhi . The rebel Kooer Singh iled from Rohtas about the 27-th or 28 th ultimo , and sought refuge in the Rewiih Territory . The Rajah warned him ofF , whereupon most of his Sepoy adherents deserted him . A column , consisting of a wing of the 5 ;> rd Queen ' s * , 27 th Madras Native Infantry , and t-oniu guns , left Raneegungv . on the 27 th ultimo , and will clear the Trunk Itoad . The Ncpaul Durbar has given 10 UU Glioorkas to aid in the occupation , of Chuinparun and tho districts on the left bunk of the Ganges , which are endangered by the abandonment of Goruckpore by the civil ollieers . It is thought that the foree stated , which left Katmrmdoo on the 13 th or lith ult ., will sutlicc to restore order in those districts .
" DELHI . " Our latest accounts from Delhi extend to tlie 2 fith ult . The Punjab reinforcements mentioned in hist messago reached c . nnp on the 11 th ult ., and more recently an auxiliary force of about 2 (» 00 men from Cashmere has marched to join tho force . It is expected to da good service . " A new siege train from Perozepore is expected by the cud of August , and the Chief Commissioner of the Punjab calculates that by the middle of this month the force before Delhi will be little short of l . > , () 0 0 men . This estimate may be somewhat too high . There has been the usual skirmishing , with the sumc result . On the 12-th ult ., a battery which was troublesome was taken , and on the 2 / Jlh , IJrig . ulier . Nicholson attacked tin' insurgents , who were trying , in a large body , to get to our rear , onthvly defeated and routed them , and took 12 guns , with all the ammunition , equipage , and baggage of t he enemy . ' ' The troops aro in good health andsjnirits . Wounded ( loin ;; - well . Supplies abundant . It is said that some , overture * have been made by , or on behalf of , this King . They will not be . imU " .-tnined . The . garrison have been levying ct . nlributions iu tho neighbourhood ol'Ayr . i anil tlie Noi'lli-Westem Provinces . " AliUA . lC Latest , intelligence from Agra to the 2 . "> th August . All still in the fort , and general health good . Nothing particular had occurred , except ail expedition to iMittchpore Sikri , and another to llutlcrnss , "which latter defeated the insurgents , but , v ,: is not , strong enough to reoi'i . 'iipy Allyghur . The FuiTiiekabad N uwub is said to be on ( hi ! road between that , plaee and Cawnpore with 11 uve . regiments of mutinous infunliy and one of cavalry , lie will I ) D duall , with by ( ie-ncral llavoloek ' s column , after the relief of Lueknow . On the desert ing ' of ( ionu'kporc b y thu civil ollicers , a Chockednr from Oude . took possession . Anarch ) - and « 'onfu ^ iuii in the district , : uid Chuinn ; irun cunciUipicuLly in .-some danger ,
as mentioned elsewhere . Azimgur and Jaunpore have been occupied by the Ghoorka 3 , -who marched from Goruckpore with the civil officers . " NATIVE STATES . " The mutineers of the Gwalior Contingent , joined by those from Indore and Mhow , reckoned at 4500 infantry , 900 cavalry , and 30 guns , are still believed to be at Gwalior . held in check , it is reported , by Scindia . " The Political Agent , Major Macpherson , writing from Agra on the 7 th ult , expresses a confident belief in his loyal and friendly attachment to us . The peace of Bhopal is imperilled bj' the open mutiny of the Contingent . All the Bundelcund chiefs continue to behave well , as also the Ne-. vab of Jo-. vooh and the petty States ofDhar , Dewass , & c , none having openly revolted except Anijhera . In RajpootJina , native chiefs quiet and apparently true . The conduct of tlie Nizam ' s Government at Hyderabad admirable . Mohurrum . Festival passed off without any commotion or disturbance whatever . Puttialla and all the Sutlej chiefs continue iu active and zealous co-operation . Gholub Singh , of Cashmere , died on the 2 nd of August : his successor is , as he was , our staunch adherent * " PU 2 JJAB . . ' " Intelligence from the Punjab is to the 15 th of August . Punjab and Cis-Sutlej-States quite , tranquil . Large local levies are being raised to supply the place of the reinforcements gone to Delhi . Gholab Singh , of Cashmere , before his death , promised seventy-five laklis to the Six : per Cent . Loan , and about twenty were expected in Cis-Sutlej . It will probably draw nearly a crore , which is the estimated want . The * disarmed 2 Gth Native Infantry at Lahore murdered their
commanding oflicer on the 30 tn of July , and broke away from the cantonments . The troops sent in pursuit took the wrong road , but the mutineers were followed by the police and the people of the country , and in the first days of August were , either destroyed , or captured , and executed ; hardly a mnu-has escaped . Fugitives of the 55 th Native Infantry at l ' e > hawur have been seized , and similarly dealt with . These vigorous measures will probably deter others from similar attempts . "G . F . Edmoxstome , " Secretary to the Government of India . " A supplement to the London Gazette of Friday week contains several official' despatches from the various ollicex's now employed against the mutineers , received from time to time at the East India . House . They have reference to the earlier days of the insurrection , and describe the several incidents with which we are unhappily too familiar . THE CAWXPORE MASSACRE . A very interesting narrative of the dreadful events at Cawnpore is thus given by a native Indian woman : — " On the 3 rd of May ( ' ?) , all the Native Infantry and Cavalry regiments at Cawnpore mutinied and ran oft ' to loot tho treasury , all of which they took ; they then burnt the collector ' s house , and then proceeded to Kulcanpore , seven miles from Cawnpore , and encamped there . At this place the Nena Sahib met them , and said to the mutineers , ' You receive seven rupees from the British Government ; I will ^ ive you fourteen rupees ; don ' t go to Delhi ; stay here , and vour name ¦ will be groat . Kill all the Knglish in Cawnpore
iirst , and I will give you each a golden bracelet . ' On hearing thi . s all the mutineers agreed to the terms of the Nona . The mutineers made a Subalular of the 1 st Iiogiment General , and be .-igain made all the llavildars and > Jaicks captains , lieutenants , and ensigns . The Nona s : iid , ' 1 will supply you all with food . ' On the following day , the Noun , with the above regiments , proceeded to Cawnpore , looted .-ill the residents' bouses , niul then set fire to them . The residents were in the entrenchment ; tlmse who did not nt > there were murdered , together with the drummers and native Christians . It was the intention of some of the ollieers to blow up the magazine , and for this purpose tliey proceeded into the station . When they reached the canal all the
regiments fired on the party , killed one otlieer , adjutant , o ( 2 nd Cavalry , and tlie rest , escaped to the cntrcnchiiunit i ' ortheir lives . They unfortunately left a gun behind them , which they had taken from the entrenchment On the party rciir-hing I lie camp , fire was opened on the l '' n ;; li .-h . people by the mutineers , and cannon were I'l .- ' . ivd on the three sides of the entrenchment . On the . canal side a 21-pounder , on the hospital side a : i 1 S-pounder , on the . third . side , near Suhada ( 'i ) , two I "J-pounders were placed . There were six ; ' ; ir . i - inside tlie entrenchment ; only il-poundcrs . The jj . mius of the entrenchment only lireil
twenty-four hours , being injured , l > v the heavy shot ol the oni'iny . The . umtiiii'crs tired ilny and night for twenty-two dnyt i . Nearly nil the Knulish people died from wounds from c . iuiioii li ; ills , musket balls , hunger and thirst , and coup tic utilcil . Nearly all tho hhcostue . s Were killed by cannon balls . Tin * chief well being outside the entrenchment thepi-nplc got . Y ' 'iy little , water to drink except what the soldi . t . < drew lor them under fire of the guns . After ten day ; a .-h > 'H '"' rs l on the roof of tht ! puckii-house in the en ( r . iicliiix-iit , which . set tho huildin- oil lire . AM th" , • < " »< I clothe * and other . irticliH of the : ; old : cir . and el'ildivn were burnt , for which reason they wern reduced to the ^ rentest straits , and
No. 395, October 17,1857.] The Lead Eb. ...
No . 395 , October 17 , 1857 . ] THE LEAD EB . 987
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 17, 1857, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_17101857/page/3/
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