Two days after an attempt of the same kind was made at Hydrabad, a place many days' journey distant, and in several places the symptoms of rebellion appeared at the same time; and, indeed, it is said that the plan was long ago formed. The affair at Hydrabad was put a stop to by the howling of the women, who, when their husbands rose in the night to perpetrate their designs under an idea that the Europeans would finally prevail, raised such hideous yells as alarmed the garrison and prevented them. Some time afterwards they made a second attempt, and upon a signal a whole company took off their leather stocks and trod them under their feet; the next company were proceeding to do the same when the spirited conduct of Captain Smithies, a young officer, so intimidated them that they took up their stocks again; but upon retiring from the parade so far recovered their ill-humour as to hoot and hiss.1 A committee was sent from hence to Vellore to inquire into the particulars of the affair there. You will probably see their report sooner than we shall; for, though we are so near, and though many people are terrified to a great degree by their apprehensions of danger, no particulars are made public; all we hear is the private accounts of people who were present and have escaped, but all that can be suppressed is. For, indeed, 1 Captain Smithies' own account of the incident was as follows: "Things wore a suspicious appearance on the 26th, when the 15th Regiment were at parade; the 1st Battalion of them took their stocks off and threw them on the ground, in defiance of discipline and every other consideration. I observed a man of the Grenadier Company of the 2nd Battalion seize his stock, evidently to induce the remainder to follow his example. I instantly stepped out of the ranks and seized him, which had such an instantaneous effect that no other man in the corps pulled off his stock. The 1st Battalion, seeing they were not followed by the 2nd Battalion (such cowards are mutineers), immediately buckled on their stocks again, and the regiment was peaceably dismissed for the evening. As I was retiring to my house I was hooted and insulted by the Grenadier Company of the 2nd Battalion, who would not quit their arms, and something serious was expected to happen. If anything does happen they vow to be revenged upon me; however, I have the consolation to know I am well armed, and should be able to shoot two or three probably before they could force me to retire." well may the rulers be ashamed of inciting by ignorance and idle arrogance so horrid a massacre-and one, too, of so mischievous a nature that years may not do away the consequences of it. Hitherto, every officer, with a handful of Europeans, led an army of Sepoys with confidence. These Sepoys have now learned to turn their arms upon their commanders, and by so doing, though a few have been sacrificed, the rest have obtained redress of their grievances; the melancholy state of things was such that all sorts of concessions have been made to the Sepoys. One of the sons of Tippoo alone appears to have been implicated in this attempt; however, they now no longer inhabit the magnificent palace at Vellore, they were all brought down, to the number of thirteen, and a few of their chief women, and put on board a ship prepared for the purpose about a week ago, and I suppose are now in Bengal, there to be kept at a less expense and in a stricter state of confinement. Their wives, the Begums, the children, a numerous train, are to proceed to Bengal by land, and the palace at Vellore is to be applied to some other purpose, as a college, &c. Nothing could exceed the timidity of the Governor during this affair— he is said to have ridden round his garden for exercise, being afraid to venture into the roads, and all concerned are trying to shift the blame from one to another. I cannot guess who will appear to be the culprit when the accounts reach you! The lowest will be likely to bear the burden of blame. The Commander-in-chief blames Colonel Agnew, he blames Captain Pearce; the Commander-in-chief says he did read the orders, he is contradicted; a censure has been published in the orders of the native officers. It is said that they ought to have come forward and have communicated to Government the dissatisfaction of the troops about the shaving and the caps. Now nothing can be more unjust than this, for how could they think of coming formally forward to communicate a thing so well known? They would have been punished if they had, and the answer would have been, "We know it, we are putting a whole regiment to public scorn by making them do duty without caps and we have nine men in irons." M has got a copy of poor Mrs. Fancourt's narrative which she wrote after she had recovered herself, but she was for a fortnight in a state of stupor. She is a very quiet, innocent woman. She was some time concealed with her children under a bed and afterwards in a stable. As she and some other ladies and children were missing for some time, the first accounts we received stated that they had been killed. The unhappy Sepoys, however, furious as they were, killed no woman. They met the wife of an officer in the dark flying with her child in her arms; they were firing; but the first who saw her distinctly cried out, "It is a woman, don't touch her," and on going near her and perceiving her terror and weakness, he took her to an out-house in a retired part, and sent his wife to nurse her child for her. Is it not extraordinary to think of such tenderness in the midst of fury? and is it not a pity that a being with such a heart could not (however he had been misled) have been spared from the general slaughter that followed? One child alone they killed. It was a dreadful murder, a murder intended as a piece of revenge; and unhappily the revenge fell by mistake on the wrong person, if indeed any parents could have deserved such a dreadful calamity. To this affair hangs a story. A young officer, with the carelessness too common with young men in India, was amusing himself with shooting, and not perceiving anything around him but black men and trees he did not take great pains to call out, and shot an infant belonging to a wedded pair. He was seized, however, or at least so noticed as to be complained of to the regiment; but, as the military men here are extremely averse to all judicial proceedings, instead of sending the officer down to take a public trial they first held, what I am told they had no right to do, a courtmartial, to ascertain whether or not he ought to be sent before a grand jury, and decided that he ought not, as he did not shoot with a design to kill the child. The parents of the child, however, were much dissatisfied with this easy way of dis missing a man whom they considered as the murderer of their child. I do not know the name of this officer; but in the darkness of the night at this fatal time the parent of this infant met a young man, a Lieutenant Ely and his wife, with her child in her arms, and mistaking him for the young officer who had shot his child he killed him before his wife's face, and then taking the child from her arms shot it crying, "blood for blood." Mrs. Fancourt is a daughter of a Mr. Farrer, an attorney, perhaps you may remember the name of Farrer in large letters at the high house in Lincoln's Inn Fields at the corner of Queen Street-poor woman she picked up a ball that was shot into the room whilst she with her children and the maids were concealed under a bed—it came close to her. MRS. FANCOURT'S NARRATIVE WEDNESDAY EVENING, July 9, 1806. Colonel Fancourt and myself retired to rest at ten o'clock. About the hour of two on Thursday morning we were both awakened at the same instant with a loud firing. We both got out of bed, and Colonel F. went to the window of his writing-room, which he opened, and called aloud, and repeatedly, to know the cause of the disturbance, to which he received no reply, but by a rapid continuation of the firing by numberless Sepoys assembled at the Main Guard. Colonel Fancourt then went downstairs, and about five minutes after returned to his writing-room, and requested me to bring him a light instantly. I did so, and placed it on the table: he then sat down to write, and I shut the open window from which he had spoken to the Sepoys, fearing some shot might be directed at him as he sat, for they were then firing in all directions from the Main Guard. I looked at my I looked at my husband, and saw him pale as ashes. I said: I said: "Good God! what is the matter, my dear St. John?" to which he replied: "Go into your room, Amelia." I did so, for I saw his mind so agitated, No. 72, XXIV. 3.—Sept. 1906 F I did not think it proper to repeat my question at that moment. I heard him two minutes after leave the writing-room and go out of the house, Between three and four o'clock I believe the firing at the Main Guard ceased and the drum beat, which I afterwards found was owing to my husband's exertions to quiet the Sepoys. I heard no more firing for some time. It then began again at the European barracks. After my husband left the house I hear he returned again, though I imagine but for a moment; I certainly heard the door of his writing-room tried very soon after the firing had ceased at the Main Guard, but having, after he quitted me, bolted the door, if it was him, he could not enter. When I heard the door attempted, I called out, "Is it you, St. John?" to which I received no answer, but if it was him he quitted the house immediately. I bolted all the doors in my room and brought my children into it; I fell on my knees and fervently prayed that Colonel F.'s endeavours to restore peace to the garrison might be crowned with success and his life spared through the mercy of God. I dressed, and twice cautiously opened the hall door, and felt my way to the lower end of it to look where they were firing most; I perceived it was chiefly directed towards the European barracks. The last time I ventured from my room, between the hours of four and five, as I stood at the lower door of the hall, which was quite open to the verandah, a figure approached me; it was so dark I could only see the red coat by the light of the firing at the barracks. I was dreadfully frightened, expecting to be murdered, and, having left the children in my bedroom, dreaded their last hour was come. I had, however, courage to ask who was there; the answer I received was: "Madam, I am an officer." I then said: "Who are you ?" to which the gentleman replied: "I am an officer of the Main Guard." I inquired what was the matter. He said it was a mutiny; that every European had already been murdered on guard but himself, and that we should all be murdered. I made no reply, but walked away to my room where babes and female servants were. The officer went out of the opposite my |