INDIA.

Hawke's Bay Herald, 22 June 1858, Page 2

INDIA.

Tlie Orerland Englishman of 9tlt April has the following :

•'Of the grounds which induced the Commander-in-chief jto leave a loophole for escape to the Luck-

now mutineers, or of the reasons which may have prevented the formation of a complete circle around the city, nothing is known at present, but ifc has been rumoured that clemency has again interfered with the just punishment of the rebels, with a view that the innocent should not suffer for the guilty. If this be true, the responsibility for all the farther troubles that may arise must remain with those, even at this moment, who, after the repeated painful proofs afforded by the past, can still for a moment entertain the belief that there was a single man at Lucknow who in his heart was attached to our cause. Private letters from the camp likewise mention that the commander-in-chief was averse tothe advance on Lucknow until all the strongholds in Lucknow had been broken down, but that his movements were directed by superior authority. These may only be rumours, or perhaps the ii> dividual opinions of private persons, but there is . no denying that responsibility has been shirked on all sides and that the escape of the Lueknow mutineers has caused serious disappointment to ourbrave soldiers and officers, who, after a prolonged . S3ries of privation, endurance, and hardship, had. indulged in the reasonable hope that the assault on Lucknow would result in the final destruction of the mutineers, and thus at all events during the hot season, put a stop to further campagning.

The most important operations in connection ■with the rebellion that have boen carried on daring the last fortnight, arc those which hare taken place in Centi'al India, where the forts of Janhi, Kotah, and Chunderee have been stormed and occupied by Sir Hugh Eose.

"What result has been obtained by the fall of Lucknow ? We fear but little of immediate effect. The entire garrison has escaped, and is concentrated in Eohilcund ; and tho Friend of India says : — "Bareilly will become what Lucknow has been, and a hot weather campaign through a most dimcult country appears inevitable. Had the la3t outlet been closed, the garrison must either have submitted at discretion or perished sword in hand. In either case we should have captured not only Lucknow, but the source of future revolts, the trained soldiers with, whose aid alone can the armed scoundrels of Hindostan venture to meet us in the field. The effort might have been a terrible one, but once over the revolt would have been at an end, and we might have waited in peace and security for our new reinforcements.

"On the other hand it is argued that Sir Colin had other questions to consider bcside3 mere victory. To make success complete it must be attained without serious injury to the Europeans. Lucknow carried with five thousand European corpses in the streets would have been a most costly acquisition. We have the country to hold ; these are dangers of which no one speaks, and Europeans ai'e simply invaluable. To leave a door of retreat open, therefore, was simply to transfer the battle from stone walls, loopholed houses and narrow streets, into the open country. Rohilcund is a lane without an outlet. The rebels cannot fly to the east or west, and if they come north or south, the Commander-in-chief has plenty of cavalry with whom to pursue. He may if he pleases even leave them for the summer undisturbed, garrisoning all dangerous points, occupying the northwest and Oude, and preparing against the return of the cold weather an overwhelming army. Meanwhile our base of operations will be strengthened ; the Light Horse, our great need, will bo fairly organised; two thousand more European Cavalry will be at Cawnpore, and the rebels hemmed in by the mountains and troops, may be swept from the face of the earth en masse. The moral effect also of the fall of Lxicknow is very great. The natives had believed it impregnable ; they had thrown up earthworks which astonish the European engineers, and trusting always to our bull dog courage had prepared for a contest of lanes, streets, and house tops. The capture of the city leaves them without a centre. A strong garrison in Lucknow will hold their best districts in check, and inaction docs .not improve the discipline of mutineers. "

The sentence of the ex-King of Dellii had not yet been pronounced.

From the Madras Spectator, April 6th : "According to the Englishman, intelligence has been received at Calcutta of General Grant having fallen in •with the fugitives from Lu.ckn.ow. At first they made a desperate resistance, but after a short, though, obstinate fight, they were defeated with great slaughter and the capture of twelve guns. Our contemporary also says that Government have at last made up their minds to deal with the sepoys as ought to have been done long ago. There will be no further question as to 'men wishing to volunteer for foreign service, but' every man refusing compliance with the request that may be made, will be summarily dismissed from the

service.