BAD NEWS FROM DELHI-DEPARTURE OF ANSON. II

(Diary) 6th May.-Talk with His Excellency about the indiscipline of the Army, and a necessity of a revision of the Native invaliding rules.

8th May.-Employed most of the day with the trial of the Umballa Jemadar, 5th Native Infantry, which I got the Chief to dispose of by the evening.

12th May.-Bad news in from Delhi this morning, which Chester, on his way from the Chief's, came to tell me of. Mutineers from Meerut have seized the bridge at Delhi; and, I fear, the men of the 3rd who were condemned to ten years' imprisonment with hard labour were under a Native guard, and escaped. Over at Chester's to take a walk, but stopped at the Chief's. A letter came from Waterfield, of 10th; fighting at Meerut, and it seems that the sentence on men of the 3rd had been carried out.

13th May.-An anxious time-no dâk in from Umballa. The 75th were to have marched yesterday evening, and to go on straight to Moohurckpore, about half-way to Umballa. Over at the Chief's and had a long talk with him; he appears to rather pooh-pooh the thing. We shall see. 14th May.-Bad news in-the Chief and Chester off in the middle of the day. A meeting at Mr Petersen's* to arrange for the defence of Simla. From the meeting I went to see Mrs Wyld, where I found F. The Goorkha corps at Jutogh said to be disaffected; and I wanted F. to go down to Umballa, and Mrs Wyld also. But no; she (Mrs Wyld) came and slept with us at Peskett's, where there were a great number collected.

15th May.-Got home soon after sunrise. An excellent letter from Maisey† giving an account of the Meerut and Delhi disasters. Everything apparently getting on as well as can be expected. Hear a rumour of the Goorkha corps (Nusseree battalion) in open mutiny, and refusing to march. Ride towards Boileaugungegreat alarm-many cutting off. At Peskett's garden, and then to the Rana's place.

16th May.-Home at sunrise. All quiet. Two Sepoys came to the house soon after I got there-very civil, and declared

* A large shop near the Simla Bank.

+ Deputy Judge-Advocate at Umballa.

The Rana Sansar Sain of Kooyntal, a hill Raja. See Appendix A.

they never intended to alarm any of the 'Sahib-Logue.' The scoundrels ! Determine after due consideration to go and sleep at the Rana's again, and to start at moonrise in the early morning for Joonug, his country-seat, some twelve miles off; arrange accordingly, send everything off, and go and dine at about four at General Gowan's, May Day Hill. Our old party and Mrs Daly came and joined us.

17th May.-Off with difficulty about 4 A.M.-dreadful scrimmage; reach Joonug about eight o'clock. Such a scene of

confusion !

Colonel KEITH YOUNG to Colonel H. B. HENDERSON, London.

JOONUG, 17th May.

I write a line to tell you that there is not a word of truth in the reported 'Simla Massacre.' F. and I, and the dear Babas, are as well as you could wish, enjoying ourselves at this place, some sixteen miles from Simla. We came out here this morning-'fled,' you may say for fear of the mutineering Nusseree battalion at Jutogh rising against us and resorting to deeds of violence. We are here under the protection of a friendly Raja, and shall probably remain two or three days longer, and then return to Simla or go on to one of the European hill cantonments as circumstances may render desirable. I haven't the least fear myself of the Goorkhas having recourse to violence under any possible contingencies, but the late dreadful excesses at Meerut and Delhi have made everybody over-anxious, and had we remained at Simla, F. would have been about the only lady there; and as all the rest of the Head-Quarter officers had left the day before yesterday, there was no use of my staying on in an official point of view. Any day, however, the Chief may send for me to go down and join him. It is a very nice, pretty country where we are now located, and except that our accommodation is rather confined, we have nothing to complain of. Our party consists of Colonel and Mrs Greathed, and the wife of the Umballa Brigadier, Mrs Hallifax; and in the adjacent houses and tents there must be some forty ladies and gentlemen, and nearly double the number of children.

You will see by the papers much later and fuller accounts of what has been going on than I can give you. My own impression

'FLIGHT' TO JOONUG.

13

is that if we retake Delhi soon, everything will be satisfactorily settled with a little management; but there is no doubt of matters being very serious, and necessarily causing much anxiety. Very much depends on the fidelity of the Puttiala Raja, who is now assisting us, and it is generally considered that he is staunch; he has proved himself to be so before on other trying occasions. Under any circumstances, we are all quite safe so long as we remain here; but if everything goes on as satisfactorily as it has done lately (that is, within the last four or five days), we may expect to return to our own house at Simla directly-unless General Anson commands the Army advancing on Delhi in person, in which case I shall join him, leaving F. at Simla. I am very much afraid of the great change of climate having a very bad effect on Chester, who was far from well when he went down.

WM. DE RHE PHILIPE, Head Clerk Judge-Advocate General's Office, to Colonel KEITH YOUNG.

SIMLA, 19th May.

Dear Sir,-All continues quiet. The Bank is open for business again. Mr Petersen's, Ford & Self's, Anderson's, and Crayden's shops open, but not doing much business, I suppose. Library and bazaar open as usual. A clothman upset his light in the night and set his goods on fire, but no alarm occurred.

The Kussowlie guard stopped our outgoing mail on Sunday night, and burnt it somewhere below Jutogh. On rejoining there was a bit of a scrimmage, which ended in twenty-four of them, or thereabouts, being placed in confinement, and six deserting. The runners now come up the valleys, so that great delay occurs and no dâk is in yet. The post-office baboo has been appointed officiating Postmaster in succession to Mr D. Colyear, absent without leave. Hindoostanee servants, taking advantage of the absence of residents, beginning to steal; two were apprehended by the police last night, I hear.

I am glad to hear that the troops are on the move from Umballa by this time. Delaying for a siege-train would have had a bad effect; a prompt blow will be half the battle. I heard to-day that the communication with Calcutta had been re-established, but no positive signs of it are apparent. I am told that

F