On this page

• Text (2)

  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.

  • 

    Untitled Article

  • 

    Untitled Article

• Transcript

  • 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.

    Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.

    Untitled Article

    House yesterday morning . '^ e following was telegraphed from Marseilles to a coatymporacy : — " The Valetta h > a * arrived : The mails leave for London at ten o ' clock . Tho passengers report-General Hayelock ' a position to be very critical . He is sur * rounded by a hostile population ( 5 OjOOQ rebels , according to one account ) , is in want of provisions , and is encumbered -with'women and children . " The Bombay Presidency is said to be in a state of great agitation , and , if Delhi had not fallen , there is every reason to fear we should have had to deplore fresh mutinies in the Bombay army . " A few additional particulars from Marseilles are thus stated : — " All the city people found in Delhi were bayoneted by our tro « p 3 . Europeans-were discovered there fighting on the aide of the rebels . On the night of the 21 st of September , the Queen ' s health : was drunk by the conquerors in the pnlace at Delhi , the cheers being taken up by the Grhoorkas . Lieutenant-Colonel Burn is Governor of Delhi . " Besides General NeiH ' , Major C ' owper , of tlie Artillery , Captain Pakenham , arid Lieutenant Webster Bateman , were killed at Xucknow . " Cawnjpore , on the 2 nd 1 of Oetober , was quiet . The English troops were advancing rapidly . " Delhi has been quiet since the occupatioa— -namely , from the 21 st . to- the 27 th of September . tl A colamn of 2000 men , despatched on- the 23 rd of September down-the west bank of the Jumna , towards Allygbrur , to eroas over to Agra , drove the enemy before them . ¦ ¦"¦'¦ ¦ . ¦ . . . •;• ¦ . ¦ ; ' : - . ' ¦ ' ¦ ' . ¦ ' ' ¦¦' . ¦ .. " Up to the-27 th of September , all-was quiet . Captain Rosserj wbo had been reported dead , -was recovering . " In the midst of onr misfortunes , we may note the agreeable fact that the Madras crop of indigo is exceedingly favourable . It is expected to reach 70 , 000 maunds , sind to fill up the deficiency in the Bengal crop . Tlie prices of imports were very steady at Ceylon a-t the last dittos , ' though transactions were rather lirnited , owing to tlie holidays . Freights were stationary ; bank rates of interest unaltered ; but large quantities of specie had been shipped to Calcutta .

    A SKETCH or NAXA S-AHIB . A writer in the Household Words gives an interesting sketch of Nana Sahib . He writes : — " The Maharajah ( Nana Sahib ) invited me to accompany him to Cawnpore . I acquiesced , and the carriage was ordered . The carriage was English built—a . very handsome landau— -and the horses were English horses ; but the harness ! It was country-made , of the very commonest kind , and worn out ; for one of the traces was a piece of rope . The coachman was filthy in his dress , and the whip that lie carried in his liand was an old broken buarrrv -whin which some European c-entleold broken buggy -whip winch some European

    gentleman must have thrown away . On the box , on either side of the coachman , sat a warlike retainer , armed -with a sword and a dagger . In the rumble were two other retainers , armed in the same manner . On the road , the Ilajah talked incessantly , and among other thing 3 that he told mo was this—in reference to the praises that I bestowed on his equipage : —' Not long ago I had a carriage and horses very superior to these . They cost me- 2 . 3 , 000 rupees ; but I had to burn the carriage and kill the horses . ' ' Why so ? ' ' Tho child if a certain sahib in Cawnpore was very sick , and the sahib and the ineni-sahib were bringing the child to Bithoor for a change of air . I sent my big carriage for them . On the road , tlie child died ; and , of course , as a dead body had been in the carriage , and as the horses had drawn that dead Ijody in that carriage , I could never use them

    again . AIXKC 13 D KXCKSSIJS OF TIIK ENGLISH TROOPS . r The London correspondent of the Milan Gazette ( apparently an Englishman ) nialccs the subjoined assertions with respect to excesses committed by our men in tlie work of retaliation . Wo do not , of course , pledyo ourselves to their truth : — " Our papers are very cnutioua in . publishing private letters from India this week . The reason id that they arc full of accounts of atrocities committed by English

    soldiers not only on the Sepoys , but even on tho unarmed popvilatiou . I have seon with my own eyes letters from Cawnporo and Dinapore , received at our United ServicoClub , in ¦ which it is related witli satisfaction how tho 78 th Rogiment of tho Queen put to death in Cawnpore and its neighbourhood no less than 10 , 000 natives , men , women , and childron , or as many as fell into their hands . . . . Tho Hvmbmj Gazette rerountH how tho kocalloil execution parades aro conducted ; and to road such horrid accountH without shuddering , one must bo saturated with beer or gin . "

    Till : OAWNI'OIUC rUAOISDT . —OrKICI . VL ACCOUNT . Mr . W . rf . Shepherd , of tho Commissariat Department at Cawnpore , communicates , under dote August 29 th . an oilicial account of tho siege of , and massacre at , Cawnpore . Tho mutiny burst out on the 5 th at June : buriRiilows were tired , Government elephants seized ami loaded with public monoy , tho place given up to tho plunder of the soldiern , and the English driven to ontroncli tluMnselvos in tho fort . On the Cth of Juno , tho fire opened , the rebels having previously secured jill our magazine work people

    classes &Ci , and made tlr-em assist io putting up a few heavy guns in serviceable , order . "We had eight guns , viz ., two : brass ones of the 3 rd Ouxle Battery , two nin&-p © unders , long guns , and four of smaller size . Tor tbe 3 e sufficient ammunition had . previously been taken and buried underground . The entrenchment was made round the hospital barracks of the old European infantry , and of the two buildings thus enclosed ^ one had tliatched roofing , over which a covering- of tiles was hastily thrown to . prevent its easily catching ike . Noneof the native writers , Bengalesej andothers , in . Government onlce 3 or merchants' employ , went into the entrenchment ; they remained in the city , where they appear to have reeeivel much annoyance from the mutineers , and some had to hide themselves to save their lives . On the 7 th . the enemy increased the number of their guns , some of wliieb . were of the largest size available . The 24-pounder guns , of which they had

    three or four , proved very destructive on account of their proximity to us . The shots from them were fired with such force as to bring down whole pillars o £ the verandahs and go through the pukka walls of tlie hospital barracks . We had but one well , in the middle of the entrenchment , aiid the enemy kept u . p their lire so incessantly , both day and night , that it was as . much as giving a man's life-blood to go arid draw a budcet of water , and while there was any water remaining hi tha arge jars usually kept in the verandah foi the soldiers ' use , nobody ventured to the well . "

    "When this stock was exhausted , tlie men were obliged to go to the wells by night . The rebels kept under cover , so that it was not easy to hit them . " The heat was very great , and what with the fright ^ want of room , want of proper food and eaxe , several ladies and soldiers' wives , as also children , died with great distress ; many officers and soldiers also were sunstruck from exposuro to the hot winds . The dead bodies of our people had to be thrown 'into- a well outside the entrenchment , near the new . unfinished barracks , and thLj work was generally doue at the close of each day , as nobody coidd venture out during the day on account of the shots and shells frying in all directions , like a hailstorm . Our entrenchment wa * strewed with them ; the distress was so great , that none could offer a word of consolation to his friend , or attempt to administer to the wants of each other . I have seen the dead bodies of officers and tenderly brought-up young Ladies of rank ( colonels ' and captains' daughters ) put out here in the verandah amongst the rains , to await the time when the fatigue party usually went round to carry the dead to tlie well ; for there was scarcely loom to shelter the living . ' Tho buildings ; were so sadly riddled that every safe corner available was . considered a greai object . The enemy now commenced fining live shells well heated , with the intent of scttuig lire to the teuts of officers in the compound , as also to tlie thatched barrack , which , though hastily covered over with tiles , was not proof against lire . The tents , therefore , had all to be struck , as several had thus been burnt ; and at last ,, on the 13 th of June , the barrack also took lire . It was about five v . M . ; . and that evening was ono of unspeakable distress aud trial ,, for all tho wounded and sick were in it , also the families of the soldiers aiid drummers . The lire took on the south side of it , and , the breeze being very strong , the ilauies spread out so quickly that it was a hard matter to remove the women and children , who were all in great confusion , so that tlie helpless wounded and sick could not be removed , and were all burnt to ashea ( about forty or upwards in number ) . '

    On the morning of the 21 st of June , a desperate attempt was made by the enemy ( who advanced under shelter of bales of cotton ) to take the place ; but it wns defeated by the courage and euergy of our handful of men . " This day , I saw a very daring and brave act done in our camp about niid-duy . One of our ammunition waggons in the N . E . corner wan blown up by tlie enemy's shot , and whilst it -was blazing tho batteries from the Artillery barracks and tho Tank directed all their gnaw towards it . Our soldiers being much exhausted -with the morning ' s work , and almost every artilleryman buing either killed or wouudod , it was a difficult matter to put out tho fiio , vihicn ' Crudungered the other waggons near it . However , in tho midst of all thin cannonading , a young olllcer of the 53 rd N . I ., Lieutenant Dellafosao , with unusual courage , went up , and laying himself down under the burning waggon , pulled away from it what loose splinters , ¦ &c , ho couM get bold of , all the while throwing earth upon the names . Ho was soon joined by two soldiers , who brought -with tliom a couple of buckets of water , which were very dexterously thrown about by the lieutenant , aud , white tlie buckets were taken to be replenished from the drinking water of the men close by , tho process of pitching earth was carried on amidst a fearful cannonading of about six guntt , all firing upon the burning waggon . Thus at last the tiro was put out , and the olliccr ami men escaped unhurt . 13 y this time , our barracks wore so perfectly riddled as to afford little or no shelter , yet tho greater portion of tho people preferred to remain in them tuaa to bo exposed to tho heat of the sun outride , although a groat many mado themselves holca under tho walla of tho entrenchment , covered over with lioxos , cot . « , &v . In themo , with their wives and children , they woro secure , at least from tho shots and shells of the eiiomy , though not ho from tho elleets of the heut , and tho mortality from apoplexy was

    < 1 ) i 1 < i ; < 1 i t i < a I considerable . At night , however , every person had to sleep out , and take the watch in turn , so that nearly the -whole of tho women and children also slept under the-walls of the entrenchment , near their respective relatives . Here the shells kept them ia perpetual dread , for nearly all night these shells were seen corning in the air and bursting in different places , often doing misebief . Thus the existence of those that remained alive was spent in perpetual dread and fear . The soldiers had their food prepared by the few remaining cooks , but all the rest had to shift for themselves thebest way they could , and it was sometimes a difficult , matter for many who had uncooked rations served , to them'to provide a mouthful of victuals for themselves , and children . The poor wounded and sick wera objects of real commiseration , for their state was exceedingly wretched . The stench also from the dead bodies of horses and other animals that had been shot in . the

    compound , and could not be removed , as also the unusually great influx of flies , rendered the place , extremely disagreeable . " To all this misery and danger was added the : farther peril of the -walls of the barracks , which af&ided the women and children , shelter , coming down , owing to the heavy shot which had been iraeessajitly directed against them . At length came the suvrender and the massacre , the particulars of-which , ' as given by Mr . Shepherd , do not differ from the

    accounts already received . With respect to the women who were first of all saved , but ultimately slaughtered , we are told that the Nana . " appointed a wicked old hag- to persuade the helpless creatTires to yield to > his wishes . This message was conveyed to tlie women with great art , accompanied' by threats and hopes ; but it was received with great indignation , and a firm resolution , to die > be- kilL each other with , their own teeth , if force was employed to seduce them . " The final horror , however , was fast approaching : —

    " The poor females were ordered to come out [ of the building where they were shut up ] , but neither threats nor persuasions could induce them to da so '; . they laid hold of each other by dozens , and clung so close tbmt it was impossible to separate them or drag tHera out 6-1 the building . The troopers therefore brought muskets , and , after firing a great many shots from the doors , windows , &c , rushed in with swords and bayonets . Some of the helpless creatures , in their agony , fell down at the feet of their murderers , clasped their legs , and begged tlem , in the most pitiful manner , to spare their lives , but to no purpose . The fearful deed was done , most deliberately and completely , in the midst of the most dreadful , shrieks and cries of the victims . There were between one hundred and forty and one hundred and fifty scuk including children , aud from , a little before sunset till candlelight was occupied in completing the dreadful deed . The doors of the buildings were then , locked , for the night , and the murderers went to their homes . Next morning it was found , on opening the doors , that some tea or fifteen females , with a few of the children , had managed to escape from death , by falling and hiding under the murdered bodies of their fellow-prisoners . Fresh orders were , therefore , sent to murder these also ; but the survivors , not being able to bear the idea of , being cut down , rushed out into the compound , and , seeing a well there , threw themselves into it without hesitation , thus putting a period to lives which it was impossible for them to save . "

    It was into this well that the dead bodieB were afterwards thrown . On the 17 th of July , the English again took possession of Cawnp . oi ? e ; bat the rebels had previously blown up the magazine .

    Untitled Article

    LORD MAYOR'S DAY . This ue \ r Lord Mayor , Sir R . W- Garden , was inaugurated , aiccording to tho usual tiinc-disluaiwured customs , into the civic ollice for tho ensuing year , on Monday . The day was a trim Lord Mayor ' s day according to the oLd traditions , beiug foggy aud obscure . The procession deviated ia an important particular from previous y « ars , there being no water procession . Tho Corporation aro no longer tho only conservators of tho Thames , and it was therefore resolved that tho route should be entirely upon laud . Another departure IVom precedent was the absence of tho usual squadrons of dragoons as an escort to his Lordship . The procession left Guildhall shortly before twelve o ' clock , and pusscd through Grosham-atreot , JLothbury , Bartuolomow-lnnc , Thrcadneedle-street , Fiuch-lano , Cornhill , King "V il-Hjun-atreet , Martiu ' s-lane , Thames-street , Queon-stivet , Caranon-street West , St , Paul'a-churchyard , Ludg-ntestreet , Fleot-atreut , Strand , to " VVestmiuaUn *; . returning from Westminster by way of tho Strand , I'loet-sUwc , Ludgate-hill , St . Paul'a-churchyard , Cheapsulo , Kiugatreet , to Guildhall . Tho usual ceremony of sweiirin ^ -ni in tho Court of Exchequer was tfouo through during the progress , and in tho oveuhn- ' 'h e banquet tookplnco in tho Guildhall , which wa » specially decorated by Mr . Dunning , tho dity architect . A profusion of sword * , bayonets , suits of armour , emblazoned ahiohb , &c , gave a warlike aspect to tho diutnbor , which waa relieved by various piocefl of sculpture and other objects of nit , choice plants , acenic paintings , &c . Among tho lalLer waa ono which must have been performed , with groat celerity : i'or it represented tho taking of Delhi . Tho

    Untitled Article

    No . 399 , November 14 , 1857 . ] THE LEADER ., 1083

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 14, 1857, page 1083, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2217/page/3/