forcing our way back to Alum Bâgh with the surplus troops not required to garrison these entrenchmentsa measure imperative if practicable, as there appears now no hope of obtaining further supplies, and for our whole force now here our grain alone and gun bullocks may possibly be eked out for a month; and but little else for twenty days. No expenditure of cash is of any avail, for we have no means of communicating with any of the townspeople.

Unless we can move off a portion of the force to Alum Bâgh, therefore, such is the utmost length of our tether; but I grieve to say I am not now certain of effecting even this. All the bridges between us and Alum Bâgh are destroyed, so that we could not take guns, and without artillery we should suffer greatly in forcing our way against the masses of the enemy prepared and watching for us on every road, and increasing every day; Maun Sing being with the rebels, and exerting his influence to raise the whole country against us, besides rebel troops arrived from Delhi it is said. But it is of the utmost importance that the Alum Bâgh post should be maintained, which we may yet force our And it is well able to maintain itself now that way to. it has been reinforced, I am happy to say, by 350 men and two guns, under Major Brigham, and with good store of European supplies. On hearing of this reinforcement, I sent orders to the commanding officer to despatch the elephants and camels after dark, escorted by 100 riflemen mounted on the animals, which, being unladen and travelling rapidly all night, should reach Cawnpore without a halt. The carts of course could not return at present. The followers must be supported, until supplies for them come from Cawnpore, on slaughtered cattle; those sharing the European supply whose caste cannot eat meat, unless-as they are in the open

country, and there are friendly zemindars in that neighbourhood-they obtain something from the villages. The detachment at Alum Bâgh, minus 100 sent back, will now amount to 500 rank and file, besides about 100 convalescent sick and wounded capable of bearing arms, who with their six guns (counting the two which came with Major Brigham) may, until reinforced, confidently defy the enemy, who are not likely, however, to assail a fortified position, exposed as they would be to our guns.

Sir J. Outram to Captain Sibley.

Alum Bagh, Lucknow Residency, 11th October, 1857.

I received yours of last night, and am glad to learn that you are so strong. I shall be anxious till I learn the safe arrival of the elephants at Cawnpore; but if due precautions were taken to prevent information outside of your intention to start them off, I trust they would have got beyond reach of pursuit before their departure was known to the enemy. If they started soon after dark, they would be past Oonao by morning, and then comparatively safe. But I wish I had not encumbered them with camels, which cannot go so fast as elephants.

In reply to your questions,-

(1.) The Provost Marshal will inflict fifty lashes on any man caught in the act of plundering our own stores. If not caught in the act, but convicted, he will receive fifty lashes under sentence of court-martial.

(2.) The troops should be warned that the commanding officer has received my orders to direct the Provost Marshal to hang on the spot the next man found thus offending, and that the order will be carried

out without fail. The Jemadar and Mahout found communicating with the enemy should be tried by court-martial for rebellion, and, if found guilty, hanged.

Do not relax in strengthening your position, which must be held until Greathed's column of the army from Delhi (3,000 strong of all arms, with eighteen guns), now on its way to Cawnpore, joins you. In addition to the ramp inside the wall, loopholes and a redoubt outside each corner bastion, you should make a ditch outside all round, commencing with the most exposed places, of course.

A traverse also should be constructed, connecting the mosque with your square.

Give your working parties the same as we allow here, paid daily from the public treasury. European and native soldiers and camp followers, for ordinary work in the trenches, one rupee for four hours' work, or more or less in proportion to the time of work. Officers commanding working parties (not on staff pay) will receive field engineers' allowances. Surround your corner towers with a rampart of sandbags.

Sir J. Outram to Captain Bruce, Cawnpore.

Lucknow Residency, 11th October, 1857.

In your note of the 5th you acknowledge mine of the 2nd, but make no mention of previous ones, so I fear you have not received that of the 26th. I therefore send list (in a quill) of the survivors of the garrison.

I also send duplicate of my last letter to you of the 9th. As the detachment reached Alum Bâgh without opposition, I am now glad you were not sent with it, for your absence just now from Cawnpore would be more injurious to our interests than your presence at Alum Bâgh could do any good. There they have

merely to remain on the defensive, trusting to your exertions at Cawnpore to supply them. I hope you will be able to induce some of the Oude zemindars with whom you have influence, to take supplies to Alum Bâgh, giving them an order on the treasure-chest there, for payment in cash, at whatever rate you may fix for the amount delivered. Of course no price should be grudged-500 per cent. would be cheap payment-until other zemindars are induced to come forward. Promise them cash payment on delivery, at that, or any rate you may think proper. I trust the column from Delhi with Greathed will be urged to come on to Cawnpore as quickly as possible, and from thence be pushed on to Alum Bâgh, where its presence alone will suffice, most probably,* to disperse the armed mob which now commands the city, for they would not risk attack from opposite quarters, and at any rate, when at Alum Bâgh, it could open communication and concert measures with us, which it could not do from Cawnpore. Indeed I am pretty confident that the arrival of a brigade at Alum Bagh would at once break up the confederate malcontents here, and enable the well affected to obtain with our aid the control of the city, when all our requisitions for supplies and carriage for removing sick, wounded, and women and children, would be complied with. But even if this result be not accomplished by the mere arrival of the Delhi force at Alum Bâgh, and should it not of itself be sufficient with our aid to force through the city, it would certainly be able to bring

* At this time we were led to hope, by Maun Sing's cunning overtures, that he was about to abandon the enemy's cause, in which case his example would have been followed by all the principal zemindars, who composed the chief strength of the enemy, against the remainder of whom I hoped our well-wishers in the city would have been able to make head, when encouraged to do so by the approach of the relieving force. It afterwards proved, however, that Maun Sing was deceiving us; and he strenuously opposed us to the last, and it was he alone who prevented the breaking-up of the coalition hostile to us; consequently the friendly-disposed dared not to move in our favour.

supplies to the Dilkoosha, and thence, by a concerted movement, enable us to meet and bring them here. In the meantime the present force at Alum Bâgh (700 effective soldiers and 6 guns) can hold that position certainly, if only supplies for its followers be provided; and on no account should it be now withdrawn. Its presence is our greatest security, and the moral effect of its withdrawal would possibly be our destruction. Urge the speedy advance of the Delhi column, therefore, in my name, and telegraph the substance of the above from me to the Commander-in-Chief.

I believe the elephants and camels were despatched to you last night from Alum Bâgh, under instructions which I trust would secure an unobserved departure after dark, and, by rapidly pushing on all night, enable them to reach you in the course of the day. But I am anxious to hear of their safe arrival. I directed that they should be escorted by at least 100 riflemen, half mounted on the elephants. I am anxious about the supply of food for the native followers there, as only supplies for the Europeans were sent. These the higher

caste followers-who cannot eat meat-must share; and the others must be fed on slaughtered cart bullocks till supplied. By the strictest scrutiny it is ascertained* that at our present rate (three-quarters rations for Europeans, and half for natives) our grain, allowing it to be all good, will last only till the 6th of November ; our meat not so long. Rice will be out in four days. Unless, therefore, the Delhi troops come speedily to our aid, we must starve.

Promulgate the news of the approach of the Delhi force as publicly as possible.

Urge Greathed to push on with all possible despatch.

*So reported by the commissary. Afterwards more grain was ascertained, and the estimate of meat was found to be underrated. It was subsequently calculated that, on further reduced rations, we could carry on till the end of November.