The decisive measures adopted in this quarter put an end, for the present, to any actual preparations for an outbreak. All was quiet; but every one felt that a volcano was burning beneath them, and they knew not the moment when its smouldering fires would burst into a devastating flame. To add to the sense of insecurity, not a single European soldier was at this time stationed throughout the province; and the prestige of Koer Sing was high in the ascendant among the people.

Returning to Bengal, we find the spirit of disaffection silently but surely extending its influence among the few native regiments that still preserved the appearance of fidelity, as well as over the populations in their immediate vicinity. Fortunately, at this time, the arrival of troops from Europe rendered the threatened danger less imminent, and enabled the government to act with greater decision and effect upon many of the points that had given grounds for uneasiness. Among these was the station at Berhampore, where the 63rd regiment of native infantry, and the 11th irregular cavalry, were in cantonments.

sent after the prime minister, proclaimed | infuriated Mussulmans, crying, praying, and that no time was to be lost. Off I went to- prostrating themselves before the object of wards the guard-shed in front of the palace; their lingering hope of rebellion (the rajah); my personal sharpshooters following at the but we drove them off." double. The noise, of course, awoke the sleeping guard, and, as they started up from their slumbers, I caught one firmly by the throat; and a little Ghoorka next me felled, with a butt-end blow, another of them while they were getting to arms-I having strictly forbidden my men to fire until obliged; the remainder, as we rushed in, took to flight, and my eager party wished to fire on them, which I prevented, not considering such valiant game worth powder and shot. In the darkness and confusion no means of entrance could at once be found. My police guide, however, having been often in the palace, knew every room in it, and, thrusting himself in at a door, acted ferret to perfection; and, by dint of activity, soon brought me into the presence of the rajah, who, though young in years, is old in sin. He refused to surrender, or admit any one-a resolution which cooled instanter on my calling my men to set fire to the palace. He then, with a bad grace, delivered up to me his state sword. A shout from the opposite doors proclaimed an entry there. The queen-mother, and the rest of the female royalty and attendants, were seized while trying to descend on that side. Her majesty's 90th regiment of light inThen came a chorus of shouting and strug-fantry arrived in India about the latter end gling, and bawling for lights and assistance; of July, and were at once dispatched up at last, a lamp being procured, we proceeded the country, by way of Chinsurah and Berto examine the palace: we wandered in hampore. At the latter place the behaviour dark passages and cells; while I mounted a of the native troops had excited suspicion, guard at every door. The air being con- and it was deemed advisable that the means fined and heated within the royal residence, of annoyance should be removed from their I sat outside until after daybreak, and then reach before actual mischief occurred; and, proceeded to rummage for papers and letters: with this intent, the officer in command of several boxes of these we appropriated, and the 90th, was ordered, upon his arrival at counted out the rajah's treasure--all in gold Berhampore, to disarm the suspected regivessels and ingots. We found a quantity ments. The modus operandi by which this of arms; spiked some guns-one of them of was accomplished is stated by Colonel French make. All day we were hard at work, Campbell, the commandant, in the following searching for, and translating, papers. The letter from the station, dated August 2nd. prime minister was found at his house fast He writes thus:asleep. In the heat of the afternoon we went to his residence in the town, and, by dint of keeping fans going over us, carried out a thorough search. We did not get as many of his papers as we wanted, he having been told by his correspondents to destroy all letters after reading them. At sunset I carried off my prisoners, over the same bad ground by which we had so stealthily arrived. We were followed by about 2,000

:

"The 90th left the Himalaya steamer for Chinsurah in two boats towed by steamers-large covered got on extremely well; no drunkenness, no sickness, vessels; and we remained six days at Chinsurah, and and the regiment all I could wish, so clever and orderly. I implored them daily not to poison themselves with bad spirits, but to buy beer; and, during six days, I had only three cases of drunkenness in 800 men, and only four men sick, who came so from England. We have had no casualty since leaving England. I was hurried off from Chinsurah, and

writer

The

says:"Soon after our arrival at Berhampore, where we had landed about 800 strong on the 1st of August, we were joined by about 100 men of the Queen's 35th, and proceeded together to disarm the native troops in cantonments, some distance from the town. We marched out some three miles in the rain, over the midan at double-quick time. On nearing the sepoys' lines the 90th deployed into three columns, one extending well to the right so as to get into the rear of the lines, the second so as to outflank them on the left; the third and larger column extended so as to outflank them on their right, or to meet them in front. This movement exposed the two guns manned by the sailors. The Jumna was lying in position to shell them: the sepoys, at the first order given, piled their arms; the officers (native) were allowed to keep their side-arms. A company of the 90th disarmed the guards in and about the lines, and the 35th disarmed the guards at the treasuries. The cavalry showed strong symptoms of mutiny; and had it not been for the imposing force before them, I feel fully persuaded they would have fought. Numbers of their pistols which were picked up were loaded to the muzzle, and some even loaded on parade, so it is said. Many of them began throwing away their belts, &c., and some doubled up their swords, and threw them away; their mutinous conduct was soon put an end to, however, by the flank movement of a couple of companies of the 90th at the double. It was too late for them to do much, and so they submitted to the 90th, which enclosed them in the centre of a three-sided square, and marched them off to Berhampore, where the horses were confined in Hospital-square. At this the troopers became infuriated, but they were soon put down. They are a fine-looking set of men; as also were the 63rd; and all their appointments were in excellent order. The 63rd are nearly all Hindoos and Sikhs. The cavalry are from about Delhi and Benares-all Mussulmans; they have never agreed together, which I take to be the cause of the safety of Berhampore."

embarked the regiment again in steamers' towing- Another letter, of the 3rd of August, boats, and we have been four days coming here.affords a further view of the affair. My instructions were to land here quietly and expeditiously, and to disarm the 63rd native infantry and the 11th irregular cavalry; to take also the horses of the latter; also to disarm some native artil- | lery here. The total force considerably exceeded mine, with the additional advantage, on the native side, of 300 of the most splendid cavalry I ever saw: as regards men, horses, and equipments, I never saw anything equal to them. The regiment was landed | by me 730 strong, and I ordered the commandant here, who is lieutenant-colonel of the 63rd native infantry, to parade the whole of the troops. He wished to put it off until to-day, but I would not grant an hour. The sepoy regiment came out on parade; I drew up the 90th opposite, and on one flank, and ordered them to lay down their arms; they obeyed, and I then ordered them to take off their belts, which was done; and having secured them in carts and upon elephants, I kept the regiment of sepoys standing upon parade until the 11th irregular cavalry came up; and they came from a distance of five miles off, not expecting to find an English regiment, but only a detachment of the 35th regiment, 180 strong, whom they were prepared to fight. Their commanding officer wished to put off the parade until to-day, the same as the others; but I refused. Fortunately I did, for not a man would have been here this morning; they would have gone off with horses, arms, and ammunition. They seemed thunderstruck when they discovered our men, and had no idea that their fine horses were to be taken from them: if they had thought so, they would have gone off in a body. They told the sepoys afterwards that they were cowards to give up their arms, and that if they had waited until they came up they would have fought us, but that my men were so placed they could not escape. The cavalry obeyed orders to lay down their arms, but with a much worse grace than the sepoys; they looked at each other, and then put them on the ground. I collected them, and found all the carbines and pistols loaded. I was standing opposite to them. I then ordered all the belts to be taken off, and this was not approved of; some broke their swords, others threw their pouches into the air, but still the order was obeyed. Having collected these, I surrounded them with my men, and ordered them to lead their horses off to a safe place I had selected for them, and where they were turned out loose. The men then pulled off their long jackboots and spurs, and pitched them away. The regiment had not mutinied; but, no doubt, would have done so, and of course I treated them as a regiment having committed no crime. They are splendid men, but savage beyond expression. Their swords During the months of September and are like razors. The political agent there had no idea that we should have succeeded in getting this October, the portion of Bengal north of the regiment together, and told me that we had done the Ganges was almost entirely free from disbest work in India since the outbreak. He has turbance. Patna, in September, as at an reported our valuable service to the government of earlier period, was disturbed rather by the India, and I have reported direct to the commanderin-chief. Had I delayed as requested until mornanarchy that prevailed around it, than by ing, not a man would have been found. We are mutinies within the place itself; its greatest steaming up the Ganges-the weather terribly hot difficulties arising in the districts north and mosquitoes most barbarous-heavy rains. I have to north-west of the city, where the revenue disarm and dismount another irregular cavalry regi-collectors had been driven from place to ment in two days' time, if they have not already gone off. I want to come near some mutinous sepoys; they place by mutinous sepoys and by petty shall remember the women and children if I do." chieftains, who desired to exalt themselves

The effect of this prompt and decisive action was to suppress, effectually for a time, any tendencies that might have existed among the population at this place towards an outbreak; and the 90th regiment, having accomplished its first protective duty in Bengal, proceeded onwards to aid in the suppression of rebellion in other quarters.

upon the ruins of the English "raj." The assistance. They started with alacrity; abandonment of Goruckpore by the govern- marched the distance in a day and a-half, ment officials, in a moment of alarm, had and reached the threatened city on the had the effect of exposing the Chuprah, evening of the 19th. At an early hour on Chumparun, and Mozufferpore districts to the morning of the 20th, it was ascertained the attacks of rebels, especially such as had that a large body of rebels had assembled in ranged themselves under the flag of the and near the neighbouring village of MunMussulman chief, Mahomed Hussein Khan, doree. A force of 1,200 men, mostly comwho had declared himself "ruler, in the posed of the Ghoorka regiment, was immename and on behalf of the king of Oude." diately sent out to disperse them-Captain This individual had collected a considerable Boileau commanding, Colonel Shumshere force, and had organised a species of govern- Sing leading the Ghoorkas, and Mr. Venament at Goruckpore, where he collected bles, a resident landowner of the district, revenue, and exercised, for a time, supreme taking charge of a small body of local horse, authority-no troops being available, for which he had raised and organised for the several weeks, to put an end to his arro- assistance of the government. Finding that gated power. the rebels were posted in a clump of trees, and in a jheel behind the village, Captain Boileau directed Shumshere Sing to advance his men at double pace. This was done in the face of the fire from several guns: the Ghoorkas charged with terrible impetuosity, drove the enemy away from his position, and captured three brass guns, and all his camp equipage. Mr. Venables, who headed his cavalry, was seen wherever the fight was most serious, and killed three of the enemy with his own hand. About 200 of the rebels were cut up in this brief encounter; and the loss, on the part of the victors, amounted to thirty-four-killed and wounded.

So far back as the month of June, the governor-general had accepted an offer of Jung Bahadoor, of Nepaul, to send a considerable body of Nepaulese troops to the assistance of the Company's government; and, in consequence, 3,000 Ghoorkas were sent down from Khatmandoo, and entered the British territory northward of Goruckpore. But a very long time elapsed between the offer and the performance: the process of collecting them, at Khatmandoo and elsewhere, occupied several weeks; and it was not until the beginning of September that they reached Jounpore-a station in the very heart of the disturbed districts: and even then there was much delay in bringing them into active service; for the English officers appointed to command them, had yet to learn the difference of management required by Nepaulese Ghoorkas and Hindostani sepoys; and, moreover, had imbibed a prejudice against them,-under the idea that they were incapable of rapid movement, and that their native officers were averse to the responsibility of independent action. But this impediment to their usefulness was not of long duration; and a smart affair, on the 20th of September, while it afforded the Ghoorkas an opportunity of showing their gallantry and activity, also contributed to impress the English officers with a due sense of their value as auxiliaries. Colonel Wroughton, military commandant at Jounpore, having heard that Azimgurh, some fifty miles distant, was threatened with an attack by 8,000 rebels under Madhoo Sing, of Atrowlia, resolved to send a regiment of Jung Bahadoor's force, under Colonel Shumshere Sing (a Nepaulese officer), to its

The fortunate result of this affair entirely dissipated the prejudices that had been entertained against the efficiency of the Nepaulese troops, who had marched fifty miles in less than two days, and then won a battle against enormous odds, in a country to which they were entire strangers. From this period their assistance was appreciated, and it was then cheerfully rendered.

Throughout the vast portion of the AngloIndian empire embraced within the southwestern districts of Bengal and Behar-the Saugor territories, Bundlecund, the Mahratta states, and Rajpootana-the troubles that prevailed from the month of September to the close of the year, were occasioned rather by the protracted struggles of sepoys already in rebellion, than from any new instances of disaffection; in fact, there wer scarcely any remnants left of the native regiments of Bengal, or of their auxiliaries of the contingents, upon which, by this time, the spirit of treason had not set its brand.