COSS

CAWNPORE reported safe.

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is opened I suppose we will get on well. It is only within three * of Delhi that any difficulty now exists in carrying on a regular dâk, and when this is overcome my own hurkaras will be needless, as the entire road will then be free.

Intentions of the Gwalior mutineers not yet known. No impression made yet on Cawnpore, where Wheeler hadn't lost a man. What the mutineers are about I can't imagine; they have a band of about ten thousand horsemen, but we know not where they are. Lucknow all safe; and, it is supposed, Allahabad also. A band of one hundred and fifty Europeans are arriving daily at Benares, and in two months we shall have a force six thousand strong there. Course of Neemuch mutineers not known, but beginning to be supposed this way.-Yours very truly,

Colonel KEITH YOUNG to his wife.

R. MORRIESON.

CAMP, DELHI Cantonments, Monday, 29th June.

I hear P- gives out that Nisbett is likely to be sent away from Simla, but there is not the slightest reason to think so. If any medical man is sent away from Simla, it will most likely be Phimself. He also gives out, I hear, that he is under the Governor-General's orders and cannot be sent away by the Commander-in-Chief, though he professes that he would like to come down here and join the Army. You may be sure that if the Commander-in-Chief orders him away, he will not venture to disobey.

There is little to tell you from here since I wrote yesterday. The enemy have been ridiculously quiet, and we can only account for it by supposing that they don't like the rain. It is, however, now quite fine, near twelve o'clock, and they are doing nothing. Perhaps it may be that they were taken aback this morning by finding the supply of water to the city from the canal had been cut off by us during the night; but they must have plenty of water for drinking from wells and tanks, and the only way in which cutting off the canal water would particularly bother them is that it would stop all the mills in the city for grinding attar, and thus put them to much trouble. The damage was done last night by our

* Native miles = 1 to 2 English miles.

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BAD MANAGEMENT AT THE BHAGPUT BRIDGE.

Engineers, who went out with some Sappers and a party of Lancers, and met with no opposition.

It seems after all that though the enemy did not destroy the bridge of boats at Bhagput, they managed to get hold of some of the boats that had been brought over to this side of the river. Hodson went over to Bhagput yesterday to ascertain exactly how matters stood, and he told me this morning the mischief was all caused by great mismanagement on the part of McAndrew, the officer with the Jheend troops. He cut off without seeing the enemy, who were thus emboldened to come on-a small party of them; and they ran away again immediately the boats were burned. Except for the name of the thing the matter is not of much importance, as the bridge at Bhagput is never kept up during the rains; the bridge here is constructed so as to remain up the whole year round. I suppose Captain McAndrew will be superseded in his charge; he can't be a good man, as he has failed in almost everything that has been entrusted to him. The Jheend troops are first-rate men, and it is a great pity there is no one with them to inspire them with confidence. Your friend, Herbert Edwardes,* would be the man for the post.

We have no later news from Meerut than that I gave you yesterday. It must be an anxious time for those who have friends there; but no one who knows anything about the place doubts for an instant their being able to repel any attack that may be made upon them, though it is still expected that no attack will be made, and that the mutineers are just waiting at Gurmukteesur to see how matters terminate here. There is no news in from the city to-day, nor have we had letters from any quarter except up above.

That's a strange thing, if true, Mr Colvin being superseded by Sir Hugh Wheeler as Lieutenant-Governor. Mr Colvin certainly appears to have done very little to assist us; and as to his representative here, he seems to me perfectly useless, and such is the general opinion.

Colonel Greathed keeps the command of his corps, Longfield being appointed a Brigadier in the place of Graves, who, I told you, had got a hint to apply for sick leave, which he has done. Nicoll remains Brigade-Major as before.

*The late Major-General Sir Herbert Edwardes.