NAWAB OF MALAGHUR HANGS three cossids. 225 should have to join him; but it will be time to think of this when we know that it is to be so. I General Wilson intends retaining the command of the Artillery till he hears from the Commander-in-Chief to the contrary. believe this is done to keep Colonel Garbett out of the command -I mean the command of the regiment of Artillery, not of the Artillery now here. Nearly 4 P.M., and no news in from anywhere. All quiet now. (Diary) 21st August.-The enemy, it seems, have got heavy guns and rockets across the river, and are firing into Metcalfe's compound and Coke's camp, but they don't appear to do much harm. We tried some rockets at them, but they were a failure. In the evening took a ride up to the Ridge to look at the enemy's batteries; many other would-be spectators, but no firing going on from the other side or from ours, so had a short ride and home to mess. CAMP, DELHI CANTONMENTS, Saturday, 22nd August 1857. The Meerut dâk has come in, but no news of any interest from there. They can't get any intelligence at all from Cawnpore owing to a scoundrel near Bolandshur, the Nawab of Malaghur, who had possession of the road in that direction, and had caught three of our cossids and hanged them-the villain! His turn will come soon, I trust. I will send on the old khansamah's letter to Harriott, and stand the risk of incurring the penalty of fifty rupees, to which, Mr Philipe says, I shall render myself liable! I believe Hodson is not to return at present, but was to go first to Sonput and then to Jheend; he may possibly be fortunate enough to fall in with some of the 10th Cavalry mutineers. It seems that only about one hundred of them got away, and only some of these were armed. They mounted themselves on horses belonging to officers and to the Artillery; but I dare say you have detailed accounts of their proceedings by this time. There is a great cry in camp against George Hall for having allowed the men to go off, and it certainly is a pity. Not many of them, I should think, will escape to reach here, if they attempt it; but very likely they will try at once to make for their homes. 226 LIEUTENANT DELAFOSSE ON CAWNPORE MASSACRE. It business I have just seen a long statement of the sad Cawnpore by Lieutenant Delafosse of the 53rd Native Infantry, one of four (the names of the other three he does not give) who escaped from the boats after they had been fired upon by the mutineers. seems that the whole of the European inhabitants went into the entrenchments that had been made on the 5th of June, and that they were attacked immediately afterwards by the mutineering regiments and the Nana's people. Sir Hugh Wheeler held on till the 27th, when the Nana sent a European half-caste woman with a letter offering terms to 'all who had not assisted Lord Dalhousie's Government.' (It was Lord Dalhousie's Government that refused to continue the Peishwa's pension to him.) Boats were provided, and all went on board without molestation; but after the arms were given up guns were opened upon the boats, and all appear to have been destroyed except the one that Lieutenant Delafosse was in. This was, however, eventually abandoned-at least Lieutenant Delafosse and a party of thirteen others left it, when hard upon a sand-bank and unable to get off, to drive away a party that were firing at them from the shore. The narrative is not very clear here; but it seems that, though successful at first, they were eventually overpowered, and saw nothing more of the boat, but, rushing into the river, swam for their lives, only four escaping, who landed on the left bank of the river and were concealed by a friendly Raja for nearly a month, when they were sent towards Allahabad and joined the Advancing Column. He says nothing about the after massacre of the women and children He gives a at Cawnpore; but I suppose this must be the case. long list of all the Europeans that were at Cawnpore in the entrenchments, and mentions the names of all who were killed there by the guns of the mutineers or died of heat and fever. Colonel Wiggens, I am sorry to say, was killed in the boat; Mrs Wiggens and the children, he says, were there, but he does not mention their death. Major and Mrs Vibart and children killed. Captain Moore, Her Majesty's 32nd, killed; Mrs Moore was there, but no word of her death, or of that of Mr and Mrs Hillersden, Lieutenant Quin supposed to be killed. who were also there. Major and Mrs Lindsay died of fever; Colonel Williams also died of fever. But the narrative, as I said before, is very imperfect, and the list of names very roughly given from memory. I dare |