INDIA.

Maori Messenger : Te Karere Maori, Volume V, Issue 14, 15 July 1858, Page 1

INDIA.

(Continued from last Number.) War had ceased, and men looked forward to a long period of repose, during which all the exertions of the Government and all the money saved would be expended on improving the country and the condition of its inhabitants. "Man proposes, but God disposes." Some evil disposed persons acting on interested motives, persuaded the Sepoys that the Government was preparing to force tbera to become Christians, and that for this purpose the cartridges served out lo the Sepoys were iLade up with the fat of hogs and cows, the former of which would defile the Mussulmans, and the latter would make

the Hindoos andean in the pretence of ibeir dnmbidolf. It was in vain that this assertion was not only denied but proved to be false. The Mussulmans knew that, when tbey bad the power, tbey tortured idolaters and forced tbem to declare themselves converts to the religion of Habomet. The Hindoos remembered this 100, and these people would not believe, because of the hardness of their hearts, that Christianity is a religion of love, that it can only be spread by persuasion, and forbids cruelty or violence. Believing the absurd falsehood relative to the cartridges, which the experience of a hundred years ought to have prevented tbem from listening to, the Sepoys mutinied at a place in the North called Menu, and murdered most of their officers. Tbey then left Merut and hastened to Delhi, the Capital City of the Great Mogul, where there were several Sepoy regiments, a great train of Arti.lery, vast magazines of ammunition and treasure, but no European troops. The Sepoys of Delhi, being also ready to revolt, joined tbem, and then commenced a massacre or helpless women and children, attended with horrors too dreadful to relate. The Great Mogul was proclaimed sovereign of all India, and was assured that the Sepoys would unite and drive the English into the aea. While these horrors were going on at Delhi still more atrocious ones were perpe-

tralcd at Cawnpore, a large slaiioo 50 miles from Lucknow, the Capital City of tbe King of (hide. Near Cawnpore lived Nana Sahib, a natural son of a great Mahratta Chief, wbo enjoyed a large pension from the English and ! lived in a splendid palace, where he associated on the most intimate terms with tbe English. When the news of the revolt reached this place and was joined in by the Sepoys, Nana Sahib comforted tbe English with assurances that they might rely on bis friendship, and that he would protect them if they would trust themselves to him. For some time a handful of officers and men, encumbered with a number of women and children, preferred to defend themselves in a barrack against the attacks of the Sepoys, but the number of the latter was so great and their command of artillery and ammunition so vast, that defence was impossib'e, they therefore surreuderedtoNana Sahib, not knowing that be bad murdered several boat-loads of English women who were seen passing by his palace on their way to Calcutta. At first he appeared to treat those who surrendered kindly, and provided them with boats, but no sooner were they embarked than lie caused masked batteries to open from both sides of the river, and destroyed all tbe men, reserving the women for the miserable fate which them a short time 'after. At Lues now there was one English regiment and some artillery, with

many officers and wooes, and they, bearing what bad happened elsewhere, fortified themselves In the Residency, and defended it against an army which is said lo have reached 450,000 men, with an enormous number of guns. Week after week, month after month, did tiis little garrison hold out against the [lost which assailed them. The Residency was riddled with shot and shell, and the commander, Sir Henry Laurence, was first wounded by a shell which burst in the room he was silling in, and then killed by anotlicr in the same place on the following day. Provisions and ammunition were both failing, and but for their trust in God's providence and the stoutness of their English hearts, they must bare been annihilated. * No sooner, however, bad the news of all these disasters reached the Governor General than be sent in every direction for more troops, and gathered together those under bis control, which bad been scattered through the provinces, suspecting no treachery and fearing no attack. * First an army was collected to attack Delhi, that great city, which is surrounded with recently repaired fortifications seven miles in circuit. Ten thousand men were collected for this purpose, but the army inside the walls is supposed to have been nearly fortv thousand. These last laughed at the insignificant numbers of the English and came outside to fight meaning to envelop Uiem by numbers and utterly destroy them. Battle after battle was fought, in every one of which the English were victorious, until at last they thought themselves stroog enough to storm the city. This great feat of war was accordingly attempted and accomplished in three days. First the forUfications were breached and stormed, then the Palace, then street by street and bouse by bouse was taken. Every place capable of affording shelter was defended by men who knew that they fought for their lives. The fight was terrible, and the carnage dreadful. The King and lus sons fled, but the two latter were captured

and slain. The King, stricken In years and hoary in wickedness, was made prisoner, tried and found guilty of causing llic murder of hundreds of helpless women and children, who vainly appealed to him for protection and reminded him what he and his fathers owed to the British Government. While this was going on at Delhi, Havelock, whose name is dear to Englishmen, took men and fought his way up to Cawnpore, where be was too late to save the victims of Nana Sahib's perfidy, who had all been murdered, and then, (assisted byOutram), braved ibe enemy, whose force was twenty times greater than bis own, and threw in supplies to the garrison of Lucknow. His force was so small, however, that be dared not attempt to bring away the women and children, and was obliged to leave them where they were. What has been described occupied several months, and the news had reached England and stirred up ibe heart of the nation as that of one man, and one cry of vengeance ran through the length and breadth of the land. Ship after ship steamed and sailed away to Calcutta bearing its freight of fierce warriors grim and eager for revenge. Sir Colin Campbell, a veteran of 70 years, bred in war, and experienced in battle in every part of the world , look men and hastened up to Lucknow; there be hoped the Sepoys would be gathered from all parts of Bengal and that their enormous superiority of number and the strength of their position would induce tbem to bold out and enable bim to make a terrible example, lie was partially, but not entirely correct, in bis views. They did oppose bim, and he did inflict such havoc among them as made the hearts quake or those who viewed the Citv and the plain when the enemy left it. The City was, however, so large, and the enemy so numerous that it was impossible to prevent the escape of large bodies of men, who, though broken and discomfited, have spread over the country, carrying dismay into the homes of their own countrymen, aud committing all sorts of ravages upon the poor country people who

would not join in their rebellion against the Queen. Delhi, Cawnpore, and Lucknow have been recaptured by the bravery of our army, and the garrison and inhabitants of the latter place have been rescued. Deeds or valor have been done by our men, and even by our women, which will live in history and in song, while the world lasts. Blood has been poured out like water, and justice has been done on thousands who turned traitorously 10 rend the hand that fed and caressed tbeui. Amid alt these disasters the fidelity and attachment of the great Chiefs (with very Tew exceptions) to. the Queen's Government, have shone forth gloriously, and exhibited a strong coutrast to the perfidy of the spoiled and over-indulged sepoys. Scindiah, the descendant of the great Mahratta Chief conquered by General Lake, took the field on our side with all bis followers, though his sepoys bad deserted and joined the enemy. Vast snihs were offered to the Government by great Hindoo merchants, and Jung Bahadour, the Chief of Nepaul, brought down an army from Nepaul to our assist* ance. The nobles and the peasants have alike "been true to their Sovereign, and the sepoys alone, who have most cause for gratitude, have proved faithless. The war is over, but there will be ranch fighting while the broken bands of Sepoys are being bunted from their hiding places, and it is feared that the innocent Hindoo peasant will undergo terrible atrocities at the hands of these miscreants. Let us hope tbey will be induced to make some comparison between the conduct of a people who are governed by the laws of a God of Mercy, and that of their owu people, who worship devils, and cannot be better than the objects of their adoration.