HISTORICAL EVENTS.

Northland Age, Volume IV, Issue 47, 13 July 1908, Page 8

HISTORICAL EVENTS.

THE STORMING OF DELHI. Half a century has passed since the Storming of Delhi, when, without doubt, one of the most daring exploits ever recorded was the blowing in of the famous Cashmere Gate in broad daylight. The men ordered to perform this feat were the Engineer officers Liouts. Home and Salkeld ; the Sapper Sergeants Carmichael, Burgess, and Smith, and Havildar Madgoo, with seven native sappers to carry powder bags ; and with them went Bugler Robert Hawthorn, of the 52nd, to sound the advance when the gate was blown in. As soon as the signal was given, the explosion party started on their dreadful errand. Through the outer barrier gate, which was open, went Home, and then over the shattered timbers of the broken drawbridge, accompanied by four natives, each carrying a bag of 251tp of powder, which was placed at the foot of the great double gate. &0 utterly paralysed were the enemy it the audacity of the proceeding, that they only fired a few straggling shots, and made haste to close the wicket, with every appearance c*f alarm, so that Lieutenant Home, after laving his bags, jumped into the ditch unhurt. Salkeld's turn came next ; he advanced with four other bags of powder, and a lighted portBre. But the enemy had recovered from their consternation, and had leen the smallness of the party, and the object of their approach. A deadly fire was poured upon the little band from the top of the gateway—from both flanks, and from the >pen wicket not ten feet distant, during the operation® of laying the sags. Havildar Telhik Sing, of the Sikhs, and Uamboll, sepoy of the same corps, tvas killed. Salkeld, having laid the bags, feW back on the bridge, shot through the arm and leg Handing the portfiee to Sergeant Burgess, he bade him light the fusee; but the latter was instantly shot dead. Sergeant Carmichael then advanced, took up the portfire, and succeeded in th? attempt, but immediately fell mortuily wounded. Sergeant Smith, seeing him fall, ran up ; but finding that the fusee was already burning, threw himself into the ditch where the bugler had already conveyed poor Salkeld. In another moment a ierrific explosion shattered the massive gate. Ere the roar of the powder had died away, the bugle of ihe steadfast Hawthorn rang out the well-known notes, which told his comrades to come on : and the column, headed by the noble 52nd (now 2t.d Oxfordshire Light Infantry), /ushed over the druwbridge and through the gate. There was no resistance—the exploding powder had killed all the defenders of the gate s«t one. and he was soon despatched. Olio column was assailed with the most desperate bravery, and. at one time, were actually driven back by a\e Sepoys for nearly a mile, and might have been driven out of the city, had not the supports come up ; but by evening the British had made a lodgement in Delhi, though at the cost of 66 officers and 1,104 men killed and wounded. No danger daunted our men, no obstacle remained unsurmounted by them ; and if daring can win glory, then glory was won in the deadly struggle in Delhi, which lasted till the 20th, when every large building and fortified post had been taken. General Wilson (who here won a baronetcy) and his staff drained goblets of wine in the palace of the Great Mogul to * the health of Queen Victoria, as Empress of India, while a thousand triumphant voices shouted with fervour, “God Save the Queen !” So Delhi was ours again, but with the loss of 3,537 killed, wounded, and missing—nearly half the force engaged. THE PURSUIT AND CAPTURE OF CETEWAYO. The defeated King c*f the Zulus was captured in the Ngoirxj Forest, in the north-east part of Zululand. Some ten days before on September 18, 1879, a force, under Lord Gifford, having been despatched by Sir Garnet VVolseley in pursuit of the king, his speedy capture was predicted. A week later the pursuers ascertained that Cetewayo was hiding in the kraal of his Prime Minister, having become a fugative from the time of the defeat of his army at TJlundi. Meanwhile Lord Gifford had kept up a hot pursuit, and, having captured a native, he was promised information as tof Cetcwayo's hidingplace in the Umvolosi bush, Lord Gifford began his march at night, arriving within four miles of the kraal at daybreak, with the cavalry and natives. They lay in ambush, fearing to advance across the open ground, and waiting for the night to make the attack, lest the king should see and escape into the bush which bo ordered the kraal within a hundred yards on the north side. Lord Gifford was on the south-east side. In the. meantime, Major Marter, with his force, appeared on the north-east, and was seen by the king, who thought the cavalry in the bad ground could not approach quietly or without warning. Major Marter, however, had stripped the saddles, and left the scabbards behind, and, disappearing from view he stole up noiselessly through the bush. The native contingent, whom he had concealed, were put in advance, and were able to move more rapidly than the horses. These men dashed out of the bush, and surrounded the kraal, saying : “The white man is coming, you are caught.” Major Marter then rode up, and dismounted, entered the kraal, and coming straight to the hut in which the king was, called on him to come forth and surrender. The king said : “No ; you come in to me.” But Murter was inflexible, and the king, creeping out, stood up among the soldiers with stately composure. The dismounted men, posted in concealment to watch the kraal, had seen Major Marter's ruse, and ran with news to Lord Gifford, who then galloped in. The king’s bearing on the inarch, and passing between the lines of the 60th .Regiment into his tent, was dignified ami calm. Wearing a rad blanket over his breast in the manner af a Roman toga, he stepped slowly, with head thrown back and haughty gaze at the soldiers. The king apparently suffered his capture partly through weariness and exhaustion, partly because he felt himsdll hemmed in, and partly through one of the fits of morose and sullen resig-

nation wmen baa come upon mm at intervals. Cetewayo was brought a, prisoner to the headquarters of General Bir ‘Garnet VVolseley at Ulundi, with a guard of the King’s Dragoon Guards, the 60th Rifles, and 0 the Native Contingent.