210 SPECIAL SErvice of hUMILIATION, 16TH AUGUST. here; but whoever done by, the discovery will have the good effect of leaving nothing that can possibly be avoided in the hands of any of the natives, and as it is, very few of them are trusted except in very small matters. Brigadier Wilson has always been very suspicious of the Natives who have anything to say about the guns, and this business will make him doubly so. These men are all Poorbeahs, and we have not as yet had the least reason to suspect anything wrong either in the Punjabee or Goorkha regiments, from which I believe there has not been a single desertion since they joined us. You will be sorry to hear that that poor young fellow Sheriff is dead. All the rest of the wounded are getting on well, and Brigadier Showers is able to sit outside his tent. Several wounded officers came into our camp yesterday evening to hear the band, which played again; the big street was perfectly crowded. Now that the 52nd have arrived I dare say their band will play also. Our present band is composed of men from the 8th and 61st. Young Clive, the Aide-de-Camp that was, is here; he is looking rather thin, but well. Both packets of paper arrived this morning in excellent order. Mactier was highly amused at the careful way yours was packed. He sends his kindest regards to you, as do also Becher and Norman; they are all well. Nothing in yet from Hodson's party; they have probably gone. in the direction of Rohtuck, to which quarter it is said the rebels were bound. This party consists principally of men of the Hurrian Light Infantry, so there can't be many of them; and with Hodson, the Jheend troops under Colonel Dunsford, and General Van Cortlandt's force, they ought not to escape. No further news from Agra or Cawnpore. It is thundering heavily, and looks as if it were going to rain cats and dogs. Word has just come in from Hodson of his having fallen in with a small party of the enemy and cut them up, and he has sent in several horses; only one or two slightly wounded on his side. Half-past three, and all quiet in camp. No rain yet; it must be with us soon. (Diary) 16th August.-Special Service of Humiliation: Mr Ellis preached. Quiet all day; rain in evening. STILL NO NEWS FROM HAVELOCK. 211 CAMP, DELHI CANTONMENTS, Monday, 17th August. Your letter No. 82, of the 14th-reached me early this morning, and after reading it I went out and had a short ride. I intended going farther than I did, but it came on to rain, and I was only just home in time. For some hours it came down very heavily, but it is now clear and bright again, but still cool and pleasant, though nothing, of course, like the lovely weather you must be having occasionally at Simla. I do indeed wish that I was up there to enjoy it with you. I am much afraid your prognostication that the 19th is to be the happy day of our entry into Delhi is not likely to be fulfilled; and, as I mentioned before, I don't think there is any chance of an onward move till the arrival of the siege-train, if then. Nothing from Havelock yet: I suspect he must be forming a junction with the Nepaul force; but whatever the cause of his silence, it must be soon cleared up. There are letters from Agra, of the 11th, received to-day, I understand, but I have not seen any of them; I believe they contain no news beyond all being well at Agra. I was much amused to hear how the 4th Irregulars should have been treated so as to have induced them to preserve their fidelity. Did it never enter into the wise heads of and that if the regiment had remained at Hansi, and all other doubtful regiments had been kept at their stations, too, it would have been rather difficult to have brought an army before Delhi? The truth is, the 4th was no worse than other regiments, but it was fully as bad, and it is only a pity it was not disarmed a month or two sooner, which it would have been had not Major Martin so strenuously objected to the measure. Nothing further from Hodson. He wrote a few lines yesterday giving an account of his cutting up this party of the Light Cavalry; there were twenty-four, I think he said, of whom two only escaped. One of those shot was a Ressaldar of Chamberlain's corps at Mooltan (the 1st), Busarat Khan by name; he wanted to make out that he was recruiting, but it was well known that he had been in Delhi for a long time, and he was perhaps out now on a 212 CHARGES OF POWDER TAMPERED WITH. looting excursion, or, it may be, returning to his home, finding matters going wrong here. There are several officers out with Hodson, amongst them young Gough; also George Ward, who, though senior to Hodson, is very glad to serve under him. None of the Saugar mutineers, as far as we know, have come into Delhi, and from what I can learn I think it is more than doubtful after all if the 50th has mutinied; and Norman's corps, the 31st, is said also to be right at Saugar. What account does give of the attempt to spoil the priming powder? This could not be brought home to any one; but a fresh business came to light yesterday, the classees tampering with the charges of powder after they were made up, with the intention of rendering it impossible to throw the shot and shell to the proper distances: two men were tried for this offence, found guilty, and hanged this morning. It is to be hoped that it will not only have a good effect upon the rest of the Natives, but will make the European officers of Artillery rather more careful how they trust to Natives in future. We had special service here yesterday, and Mr Ellis gave us a sermon; he arrived a few days ago. Mr Levien and Lord Frederick Hay leave by mail-cart this evening. No word of Major Goad's arrival here. I have sent Mr Philipe a list of the Force here-Staff Officers, &c.: ask him to show it you; it is for publication in the Simla paper.* All quiet here, not a gun firing. 3.30 P.M. (Diary) 17th August.—Took a ride this morning, but was glad to gallop home to escape the rain. After breakfast it came down in torrents for an hour or two, and then fine. Hodson out on an expedition with three hundred Sowars; promises to be very successful-has cut up twenty-two of the enemy, and taken several horses. * It is not known whether the list of the Force here printed is the original one sent by Colonel Keith Young for publication. The following list is taken from the Weekly News General Intelligence,' published at Calcutta, but may have been a reprint from the Simla paper. DETAIL OF DELHI FIELD FORCE. 213 Detail of the Troops, &c., forming the FORCE before DELHI, COMMANDING. August 1857. Brigadier-General Archdale Wilson, Artillery. AIDES-DE-CAMP. Capt. Barchard, 20th N. I. Lieut. Turnbull, 75th Foot. Lieut. Lowe, 74th Foot (extra). Lieut. Low, 9th Light Cavalry (extra). STAFF OF HEAD-QUARTERS, &c., IN CAMP. Brigadier Chamberlain, Actg. Adjt.-General. Lieut.-Col. Keith Young, Judge-Advocate General. Capt. Garstin, D. Asst. Qr.-Master-General. ADJUTANT-GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT. Major Ewart, Asst. Adjt.-General. Capt. Stewart, 9th N. I., D. A. Adjt.-General. QUARTERMASTER-GENERAL'S Department. Capt. Shute, D. Asst. Qr.-Master-General. * Lieut. Roberts, Artillery, D. Asst. Qr.-Master-General. JUDGE-ADVOCATE GENERAL'S DEPARTMENT. Capt. Maisey, D. J.-A. General. Capt. Wilson, D. J.-A. General. COMMISSARIAT DEPARTMENT. Lieut.-Col. Thomson, D. Com. General. Capt. Sibley, Asst. Com. General. Capt. Briggs, 71st N. I., S. A. Com. General. Lieut. Waterfield, 23rd N. I., S. A. Com. General Capt. Grindall, 8th N. I., S. A. Com. General. * Now Field-Marshal Earl Roberts. 214 DETAIL OF DELHI Field force. MEDICAL DEPARTMENT. Surgeon Tritton, Supg. Surgeon. Surgeon Batson, Field Surgeon. Asst.-Surgeon Mactier, Surgeon to Staff. ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT. Capt. J. Young, Commissary of Ordnance. PAY DEPARTMENT. Capt. Tytler, 38th N. I. (In charge of Military Chest.) BAGGAGE MASTER. Lieut. Douglas, Horse Artillery. ECCLESIASTICAL DEPARTMENT. The Rev. J. E. Rotton, Epis. Chaplain. FOOT ARTILLERY. Major Brind, Commanding. Troops-3rd Co. 1st Batn., No. 17 Battery. 1st Co. 4th Batn. Details of other Corps 4th Batn. Detachment of European Recruits. Two Companies new Sikh Artillery. |