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Leader (1850-1860), 19th September 1857, Edition 1 of 2, Page 893, Untitled Article

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      not so fully known in England as it » 9 in India , onnexion with the Burmese Court is not of long ing , and the King of Ava would seem to be as far * the way of the press as any potentate with whom ive any relations at all . Yet , not many months i gentleman in our interest at Ava complained that d been compromised by an article that had been ibed in a Calcutta newspaper ; and it then appeared iis Burmese Majesty had the Calcutta papers rely examined , and matter of interest therein conl regularly explained to liitn . ' o show that the necessity of controlling the Eng-3 ¦ well as the native press is not merely imaginary ,

      L be enough to state that the treasonable proclamajf the King and mutineers of Delhi , cunningly d , so as to inflame the Mahorainedan population as as possible against the British Government , and g with the assurance that the multiplication and ation of that document would be an act equal in > us merit to drawing the sword against us , was shed in a respectable English newspaper of this without comment . Tor doing the very same thing , comments having the outward form of loyalty , the ; 3 iers of three native Mahommedan papers in Oal-Iiave been committed to the Supreme Court to take trial for seditious libel . "

      ietmgs in aid of the Indian fund have been at Liverpool , York , Hull , Leicester , Weyniouth , ; enhani , Ipswich , Southampton , Bristol , Shrews-, Exeter , and Torquay . At the Liverpool meetthe Rev . Dr . M'Neile said that " a friend had red intelligence from Calcutta to the effect that Colvin , the banker ' s wife , and Lady Canning , working just as Miss Nightingale did in the ea—administering with their own hands to the sides of the ladies and gentlemen as they were f lit in from the river . special general meeting of the subscribers to the in the City of London was held at the Mansioni on Wednesday , when a previous resolution so reconstructed as to permit of relief being

      l to the relatives of those sufferers who have edin this country . The Lord Mayor announced up to that time , the amount received by the nittee was 35 , 836 / . 16 s . 8 d . The business of the ing having been concluded , a vote of thanks passed to the Lord Mayor , who , in acknowledghe compliment , again dwelt upon the necessity lmediate action . He had had communications all parts of India showing the great necessity exists for the labours of the committee . There nany ladies up in the . hills , and his own sister med him that their treasury was nearly emptv , ; hat the natives were unwilling to bring them lies , in consequence of their not knowing vbetlie mutineers or the English troops would be : ssful .

      " . Hay , the American missionary in India , who sed from Allahabad , and recently arrived in and , has been staying for a short time in London , e he has hnd an interview with Sir Charles Train . He has given several particulars of the realc in its earlier stages . These have been ished in tlie daily papers , where we read : —¦ Hr . Hay speaks in the highest terms of Major Braand Colonel Neil , with both of whom he was perly acquainted . Major Brazier rose from tho ranks , sommanded the Sikhs , at Allahabad , and exercised ; influence over them . It was to him that the peans were indebted for preventing the rebels from g the fort . Had they done so , scarcely anything i have driven them out of it , for it is constructed i European model . Nothing would induce the Sepoya -who besieged it to come near , so much dread its

      hey guns . On the 13 th of June , Colonel cannonaded Daraghung , a suburb of Allahabad . icr behaved here witli distinguished gallantry . The of the mutineers was taken prisoner . Ho was a g man magnificently dressed , and was snid to be a bw of the Moulavie , who headed the mutiny inside walls . Major Brazier , surrounded b y a few Sikh era , ordered the chief to be brought before him to be rogated . After being questioned , he was ordered > taken to a place of confinement . His arms were ly fastened behind him . Before he left tho pr « 3 ence e major , he caught by a great effort at a sword that within his reach , and made a cut nt one of the is . Brnzier and all the Sikhs fell upon him , and the icr wrested the sword from the prisoner ' s lumcl but enraged Sikhs , while the chief was prostrate , placed r necls on his head , and literall y crushed out his ™ , and tlio body wa 3 thrown outside the gntes

      do harm to our cause . Mr . Hay states that , on liis passage to England , lie met a French officer , a Captain La Fous , who had been in the Punjab war , and who knew Nena Sahib intimately , and saw him at Cawnp-ore , after the seizure of Delhi , when the hypocritical miscreant affected to deplore the outbreak , which he said he could hardly believe , though there is no doubt that he was privy to it before it commenced . " Mr . Hay thinks the issuing of the greased cartridges to have been a great mistake . The intelligent leaders of the mutineers well understood that the greased cartridges were withdrawn , and that the Government explanations were satisfactory ; but the illiterate natives

      never were convinced that the outrage on their religion was discontinued . It was also an error to sentence the eighty high-caste menatMeerut to five years' imprisonment for refusing to use the cartridges . They were all native gentlemen belonging to a cavalry regiment . The Sepoys would have greased the cartridges themselves , and used sheep ' s fat , a material which scarcely a Mahomedan or Hindoo -would have scrupled to use . The colour of the paper of the cartridges being different from that wliich had hitherto been used , and the paper being greasy , excited suspicion and alarm . Mr . Hay says that the British Government should have declared itself a Christian Government . It should not have persecuted the natives in order to make them Christiana , but it should have setits face against caste as much as against ¦ widow-burning . The Government relied upon keeping

      ahvethe ignorant prejudice of Hindoos and Mahommedans , tind preserving its authority by balancing race against race and religion against religion , and the mutiny sliows that its scheme has signally failed . The missionary schools were twice as crowded as the Government schools . In the former , the Bible and catechism were taught , and the schools commenced and ended with prayer- In the latter , until very recently , the Bible was excluded . The Koran and the Shaster were in the Government schools ; but no professor was ever allowed , even if requested , to explain sinything with reference to the Bible , not even as an historical book . Nearly all the native professors and graduates of the Government universities and schools are Atheists . Their education caused , them to disbelieve Paganism , and they were not encouraged to believe in Christianity . Many of them are implicated in the present revolt . "

      LATEST INTELLIGENCE . Some very important and , rather ominous despatches have reached the Government . The first , whiili is addressed to the Earl of Clarendon , runs thus : — " Lord Elgin reached Calcutta on the 8 th August , in her Jtajesty ' s ship Shannon , accompanied by her Majesty ' s ship Pearl . These vessels had 300 extra marines [ 380 , according to another account ] and 300 soldiers on board . " After the mutiny at Dinapore , a small force , consisting of 100 men of her Majesty ' s 10 th Regiment and about the same number of the 37 th , was despatched to relieve some eight Europeans besieged by the mutineers at Arrak [ Arrah ] . The expedition was not successful , and our loss very heavy .

      " Greneral Lloyd has been removed from his command , and General Outram invested with the command of the Uinapore and Cawnporc divisions . " The 63 rd N . I . Regiment , was disarmed at Berampore on 1 st August . The 11 th Irregular Cavalry and the Governor-General ' s body guard have also been disarmed . " The Himalaya left Calcutta on the 10 th of August for the Mauritius [ to bring troops ] . " This intelligence is received from Acting Consul General Green , at Alexandria , under date 11 th September , 1857 , 10 p . m . ( Signed ) " M . Sroproun , Rear-Admiral . " Consul Ckaio . " The second despatch , also addressed to Lord Clarendon , states : — " Alexandria , Sent . 12 .

      " General Havelock had advanced twenty-five miles from Cawnpore towards Lucknow , but after defeating tho mutineers [ in ] three engagements , with loss of twentyono guns , he was obliged to retrace his steps to Cawnpore , for tho purpose of leaving his sick , considerably increased from cholera , and was waiting for reinforcements . " At Agra , tlio Krok [ ICotah ?] contingent and other rebels had been entirely dispersed . [ Another despatch mentions a severe- action with the re ' bels at Azimghur but without stating the result . ] ' " A detachment of her Majesty ' s 10 th and 37 th Regiments , 300 . strong , liad made a night attack upon tho men of the 8 th and 40 th N . I ., who had mutinied at Dinaporo , but was repulsed with tho loss of 200 killed . " Tlio irregular corps at Sogowlio had mutinied and killed their officers .

      'A plot to murder the Europeans at Jessore and Benares had been discovered . " At Midnarore , the Shekawutti battalion was wavering , Imt had not been disarmed yet . " Martial law had been proclaimed in Behar . " Great uneasiness was felt in Calcutta of an outbreak during the approaching Mohurrum , and the body-guard had been disarmed , but allowed to retain their horses . ' " Lord Elgin arrived on the 8 th August with 400 Marines and a company of her Majesty ' s 59 th Regiment , and another steamer had brought some of the troops of the Transit . " The Bentinckmet two steamers coming up the river with troops . The Himalaya left on the 11 th , for troops from , the Mauritius .

      " The report of General Ilavelock ' s retreat comes by the Suez telegraph . The Calcutta Englishman of the 8 th of August does not mention it . ( Signed ) "F . Jobcnsox . " Trieste , Thursday , 5 . 55 a . m . ( Signed ; " Ravens " Private despatches published in the newspapers say :-r" The 14 th Bengal Infantry resisted the orders to disarm at Jhelum , and was cut to pieces by a detachment of Europeans . " A report is mentioned to the effect that General Reed is dead , and that the ravages caused by cholera have compelled the British force to retire from Delhi to Agra . ( This report comes from Ceylon alone , and seems unautlienticated . " >

      " The 17 th and 27 th Madras Native Infantry were advancing up the grand trunk road , and those besieged at Airah ware relieved by troops from Hageepore . The steam-ships Laneeneld and Pearl have arrived at Calcutta with English troops . " The Sikh Sirdars have proved faithful , offering their services ; and Gholab Singh , has been appointed to a military command . The Upper Punjab safe . " The Calcutta markets arc dull , and Government securities have had a downward tendency . " The following details respecting the massacre and expedition to Arrah are taken from the Homeward Mail from India : —•

      " Since our summary and the other portions of our newspaper were in type , intelligence of the gravest and most painful character has reached us . This intelligence is of a nature to modify to a very considerable extent the opinions we have expressed as to the general character of the news received by the present mail . As we bslicve it to ba authentic , we should be wanting in our duty as journalists if we refrained from making it public ,, though , we appreciate the anxiety it will occasion to many of our readers , and deeply regret that we are at present unable to satisfy their impatience by a more detailed account . It appears that the mutineers from Dinapore , alter quitting that station , advanced against Arnih , a large civil station twenty-five miles west of Dinapore , the residents at which place were unfortunately sanguine of their ability to resist an attack for a time , and . are said to have applied for a detachment of European

      troops , in phice of adopting the more prudent course of a retreat . The result was that the whole of the Europeans at the station , to the number of about fifty , were massacred . This disastrous event was succeeded by another . Two steamers had been despatched with troops for the relief of Arrah : one of them grounded , and we have no further information respecting it ; from tho other a body of two hundred European troops were landed , and fell into aa ambush , where nine officers and upwards of a hundred men are said to have been cut oft " . The importance of these events , considering the command they give the mutineers of the line of communication between Calcutta , and Benares , cannot but bo obvious to every one . This intelligence will perhaps serve to explain to our readers the report which has appeared in a leading journal regarding the fall of Agra , tho similarity of the names having probably led to tho mistake .

      • ' Arrah , a town in the British district of Shahabad , Presidency of Bengal , is on tho route from Dinaporo to Ghazepore , twenty-llvo miles west of the former , seventyfive east of tho latter . " Of General Ilavelock ' s retrograde movement , and of some other features of the general situation , wo read as follows , in a letter from Mirzupore , dated August 3 rd , and published in the Leeds Mercury : — " He ( Havelock ) had only about 1500 men with him , many of whom must have been killed or otherwise disabled . Nena Sahib crossed the Ganges in the rear of Ilnveloek , who ib by this movement placed between two ( ires . Mont serious fcnrti uru entertained for his safety , for all the north-west depends upon tlieBuceess of Ilavclock ' s expedition . Wo have later news from Delhi than

      is possessed in Calcutta . The real fact is , our forces arc besieged there , instead of besieging that place . Our forces ( British ) arc believed to hnvu been reduced to 2 ^ 00 , and us it wan intended that Havelock should march to reinforce that army after relieving Lucknow , great fearrt are entertained for its safety . It in surrounded by LhiMwnnd . s of tlio enoiHV . Of tlio l ' unjab wo can hear nothing , as tho communication i . s in the hands of tho rebels . You will probably gut intelligence by tho Bombuy aide . Wo aro throwing up entrenchments here , but

      { / > confl ( 1 « nt that Delhi will not be ¦ n betore November or December . Of the reiUs exacted of the assassins who murdered Sir Sntn I " ^ UlC ° ther ° fflCerS 11 Cllr M «»« -POrc , elates a horrible story . The soldier * of tlio same monts were made the executioners of the murifs ; and it was boasted at the time that ono of assassins wa « huny by his own father , in order to LrrJf ' i : Pf til < 3 rCgimeUt 8- ' W « ^ HJ this icorrect . buch an outrage on nature would only

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      * Another account includes the . 5 ( ith Regiment in thi . difluater , and makes the totul number of tho detachment 360 men . It agrees , however , with respect to the number lulled .

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      So . 391 , September 19 , 1857 / 1 THE LEADER 893

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 19, 1857, page 893, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2210/page/5/