INDIA.

Lyttelton Times, Volume IX, Issue 549, 6 February 1858, Page 4

INDIA.

We proceed with the publication of the latest news in detail. The Indian news is from Calcutta and Bom bay to December Ist; and Point de Galle, 16th December. Lucknow has been relieved. Offensive operations were commenced by the Comraander-in-Chief s force, on the 12th November. He left Cawnpore the previous day with a flying escort, and Joined Brigadier Grant's camp* the same evening ; the distance travelled being 40 miles. The fort of' Jellellabad was attacked, and after a deal of skirmishing captured and blown up. The force next proceeded to the Alum Bagh ; from this place the Commander-in-Chief communicated with Sir James Outram in the residency. On the 15th the Com-mander-in-Chief made the first advance towards Lucknow. Instead, however, of making straight on for the residency, as Sir James Outram and Sir Henry Havelock did, Sir Colin Campbell marched eastwards from the Alum Bagh, avoiding several smaller positions of the rebels, and

made a circuit towards the Dilkhosha, (Heart's Delight). The with his Excellency is stated, by the ' Friend of India/ to have been two troops of European Horse Artilleiy, under Capts. Kennington and Blount, with five guns each, a European, Horse Battery, under Capt, Bouchier, 60 European Royal Artillery, with two 18-pounders, and two 8-inch mortars, 820 of the 9tb Lancers, a squadron of Sikhs and Pathans from the Ist, 2nd, and sth Punjaub Cavalry, and from Hodson's force, altogether 430 men,' 600 of her Majesty's Bth and 95th Regiments, 1,000 of 2nd and 4th Punjaub and Sikh Infantry, two companies of Sikh sapi pers and miners, nearly the whole of her Majesty's 93rd Highlanders, 200 of her Majesty's 6th Fusiliers, 350 men of her Majesty's 53rd, 300 of the' Naval Brigade with guns, two squadrons of cavalry with two guns that escorted the Commander-in-Chief at Cawnpore to the British cantonment, and 900 effective men from the Alum Bagh. After a running fight, the Dilkhosha and Martinere were evacuated by the rebels, and occupied by pur troops ; subsequently, however, the rebels returned, and attacked the British position, but were repulsed with great loss. Sir Colin Campbell marched straight on to Secundra Bagh; here the rebels made a desperate stand, and were only driven from their position after a severe struggle. They lost enormously. The artillery was next brought to play on Samuch, and after battering it about for three hours, it was stormed and carried at dusk. The rebels must have fought with the courage which despair alone can lend; for the telegraphic despatch mentions that it was one of the severest fights ever witnessed. The next morning a heavy cannonade was opened from the British position at the Dilkhosha and Martinere; in the palaces of a group of buildings or rather series of small forts on the other side of the canal, between the residency of the above-named position between the Commander-in-Chief's position at Secundra Bagh and the Samuch, and Sir James Outram's. at the residency there only remained two places to occupy, the mess-house and the Motee Mahal. The attack on the former commenced eai'ly on the morning of the 17th with a cannonade, and by three o'clock it was assaulted and in our hands. After capturing this position, which was a very strong one, the force pushed on rapidly to the Motee Mahal, which is about 500 yards to the north-west of the Mess-house, and before dark this position was also in;our hands. The Motee Mahal is only 400 or ,500 yards from the residency, so that before Sir Colin slept that night he had the gratification of receiving the thanks of his brave fellowwarriors, Outram and Havelock, who came out to meet his Excellency on his way to the residency. The loss on the side of the rebels is largely estimated, and our own is said to have been heavy. , The casualties among the officers are not so many as was expected. " Sir Colin Campbell himself and some of his staff have been wounded, but with one exception all are slight wounds; that of Sir Colin is said to be very slight, and does not interfere with his duties. .

From Cawnpore 27th November, from General Wyndham, Calcutta, to the Governor-General: "All going on well at Alum Bagh. General Havelock died two days ago." From Cawnpore 22nd November, from Captain Bruce, by order of his Excellency the Comman-der-in-Chief to Calcutta, to the Goyernor-Ge-neral:— " I am desired by the Commander-in-Chief to transmit the following to your Lordship. " Alum Bagh, 24th November—l have arrived with all the large convoy attached upon the rescued garrison. I propose to march the day after to-morrow for Bowse, leaving Sir James Outram with a division." Letter from Cawnpore, dated 17th Nov., states —That that place was in a great state of commotion on hearing that the Gwalion Mutineers intended to make an attack upon Cawnpore, thinking.as we were so well engaged at Lucknow, that the former place would be an easy prey. They, however, from what they heard lost heart and doubtless would attempt. to Across over to Oude, and congregate with the other ruffians who, by the time this reaches, we trust will have been shelled out of existence. Sir Colin Campbell, it is said, is bent upon annihilating the Oude fellows, and every Englishman's heart is with him, both here and at home. The Monarch has a part of the 2nd Dragoon guards on board. There are now in Calcutta, Dunn Dunn, Barrackpore, and Chinsurh, about 8000 British soldiers; such a force was never before seen in Lower Bengal. The following is from Gopogungee, dated 20th November:— The detachment of the 60th rifles, that passed this yesterday, reported that, two marches on the other side of Benares, they had seen a village burning, and on going tip to it found a few dead bodies in it. This is, I fancy, some of the handiwork of the last batch of the 23rd mutineers. I understand that Jaunpore is again threatened by 8000 rebels, only 2000 of whom are however Sepoys, the rest being Oude Budmashes. Fugitive mutineers are roving about as mendicants in many parts of the Punjaub; they are without their uniforms, and beg about from all they meet. The magistrate's house at Allahabad had been attacked. It is reported that a few hundred of these fellows are bushing about Allahabad, and so we may expect hot work if they only get the chance. Azinghur is again unsettled; and Atrowliah and Maharajagun are in the hands of the insurgents. The Ghoorkas to the east of Oude have had another engagement with the Oudites. The rebels have come done to Atrowliah and occupied the fort there. Colonel Longdon and a force of Europeans, Madras troops, and Ghoorkas, attacked the fort on the 9th inst., and kept up the cannonade throughout the day. In the night the rebels evacuated the place. On the night of the 3rd inst. the rebels at-

tacked the residency and the Alum Bagh, but were defeated with tremendous loss, as also was the case when they attacked General Grant's relieving column, tlie Lancers charging them in brilliant style. The same correspondent states that Maunsing ordered Nana Sahib out of Lucknow, and told him to go and defend his own place. It was reported that the remainder of the 9th Irregular Cavalry stationed at Hosearpore had mutinied and murdered their Adjutant (Lieut. Campbell) of the 55th B.N.L It was hoped, however, that the report might prove untrue. Duffadars, of the Irregular Cavalry, who had served under Ghous Mahomed, were blown away from their guns on the 6th inst., at Allybush. Several of the smaller fry were hanged at the same time. ; The 72nd 8.N.1., who had remained faithful, were disarmed, much to the disgust of the natives and also of their officers. The Electric Telegraph between Calcutta and Madras was to have been opened on the Ist of December. Two native doctors had been hanged at Mofussil for plotting to poison 3heirj patients, European soldiers.. The suspicious fidelity of the Rajah of Hachete has been placed beyond a doubt, by the discovery of papers found upon him when captured, i The Googsia rebels are said to have taken refuge in the thick jungles, which will have to be burned down in order to dislodge them. Another attempt was made by a fanatic to induce the 73rd Regiment N.I. to mutiny at Julpigoree, but without any orders the men themselves seized the miscreant, and confined him in the quarter-guard. The Ghoorkabs have apprehended and hung, at a village named Myrwa in Sarun, a spy with a proclamation from Maun Sing, of Oude, inciting the natives of the district to rise, and holding out a premium for the magistrate's head. The Legislative Council have passed the Foreigners' Act, by which in future all such people must have licenses to remain in the country, and to travel, stating their objects, &c.

The ' Friend of India' has received an impression of the new rupee, struck at Lucknow, to commemorate the downfall of British power. The obverse appears to be that of the old Sicca rupse. The reverse bears an inscription in Persian, in honour of Sultan Alum Shah. It is a characteristic fact that this coin, struck to pay the mutineers, professes to be worth 15 anas, and is worth just 13. Even in the hour of exultation, when they thought Victory secure and crime successful, the native leaders could not resist the gratification of; swindling their own supporters. The following letter inj-'the "Hurkaru, November 20, is an important-one from Barrackpore—" A letter has come from Dum Dura to a Naik of the 70th. I hear it says all hands there are of one mind. I dare say the affair will be taken proper notice of, and some example made. Who trusts the Sepoys ? Before your issue of to-morrow steps ought to have been taken in this matter, or I should not have given the wretches the chance of learning through your columns that their rascality had been found out." A native eye witness has furnished us with the following account of the mutiny at Hamirpore, a small station about 33 miles to the south of Cawnpore, and 50 miles to the east of Etwah, at the junction of the Bitwah and the Jumna:— " The mutiny at Hamirpore broke out on the 14th June, a short time after the Cawnpore outf break. For some days and nights the. sound of the booming guns could be distinctly heard at Hamirpore. This caused an excitement in the station; Mr! T. K. Lloyd, the collector and ma : gistrate, and Mr. Grant, the joint magistrate, did all in their power to prevent an outbreak, and it is highly probable that had the troops of the Kurachee rajah, which amounted to about 500, besides 600 Burkundanzes, remained faithful to their salt, the endeavours of Messrs. Lloyd and Grant would have been successful, and they would yet have been in the land of the living. On the 14th of the said month the Sowars, attended by a number of the Budmashes of the place, began to parade through the streets armed with swords and laties, and put to the sword every Christian and every Bengalee whom they could suspect of an acquaintance with the English. The life of the sub-assistant surgeon of the place, a native, was most eagerly sought for, but he fortunately did escape, after playing hide and seek for a considerable period of time. The 20 th June was the day fixed upon by Nana Sahib for -the massacre of the Bengalee residents of Cawnpore and its neighbourhood, and but: for the timely arrival of English troops, the slaughtermongering scoundrels would have carried put their fiendish resolution. The sub-assistant surgeon had to hide himself for two tedious months under the kind protection of some villagers, and lias since ai-rived at Calcutta. The wife of the Subardar of Hamirpore, be it said to her credit, strongly remonstrated with her husband against the murder of the Christian Bengalees, and it is said the husband was in some measure influenced by the humanising advices of the wife, but the rebel soldiers were deaf to such remonstrances, and gave vent to their thirst for blood. Mr. T. X, Lloyd was made to kneel down in the parade ground, and the Sowars then began to shoot at him. They missed two of their aims, and the third struck him on the arm, but the wound was not a mortal one, and, without uttering a groan, he asked Avith a dejected look cast behind, "Are not the English yet arrived?" The sepoys then surroundecLhim, and made an end of him with their swords. The Subardar then drove off to the Collector's cutchery, leaving the dead body to welter in blood.