wine, received offers of most valuable jewellery in exchange for a dozen of brandy; and I have myself seen diamonds and pearls which had been so bought. During the siege, I had occasion to cause a swimming bath to be emptied, for the purpose of having it cleansed. My servants employed in the duty found at the bottom of the bath, carefully deposited in one corner, a handful of jewels, pearls, emeralds, and gold, which they brought to me. These evidently had been purloined from the royal jewels, and were restored accordingly. A large number of these jewels were preserved, and were taken out of the Residency with ourselves in November. Major Banks on this occasion discovered a large brass 21-pounder gun complete with carriage and waggon in the Kaiser Bagh. And these, as well as some other small arms which were found, were on the next day brought into our position. By this time the heat had become intense at Lucknow, and the rains were anxiously looked for. Cholera had shown itself, and several cases of small-pox had occurred, so that the first good fall of rain which took place on the 28th of June, was hailed with general satisfaction. CHAPTER X. THE END OF JUNE-DEFEAT AT CHINHUT. The concentration of the mutineer force at Newabgunje known to us, and reported to Sir Henry Lawrence.-They march on Lucknow.Their advance guard reported to be at Chinhut early on the 29th.Sir Henry Lawrence orders a party of cavalry to reconnoitre, and resolves to attack the enemy in force on the next day.—Mr. Gubbins, and those not actually employed, kept in ignorance of this intention.Hears next morning that the force had started; news brought in that it was in full retreat.-Account of the engagement; force employed; still in column on the causeway when the enemy's guns open on it.— Artillery fire for twenty minutes; our flanks turned by the enemy; village of Ismailgunje taken; retreat.-Loss of the 8-inch howitzer ; death of Colonel Case; noble conduct of the Volunteer Cavalry under Captain Radcliffe; loss in the action. The force of the mutineers precisely stated.-Mutiny of the 4th, 7th, and part of the 1st Regt. of O. I. Infantry at the Dowlutkhana.-Escape of Brigadier Gray and his officers.-Mutiny of the police at the Imambarra.-Investment on the 30th of June of the Residency position and the Muchee Bhowun.-Confusion at the Residency, abandonment of our unfinished batteries. Desertion of native domestics, and chuprassies.-Effect upon my post of the abandonment of the south-west bastion.—Description of the work.-Mr. Gubbins resolves on attempting to complete it. The work begun on the night of the 30th of June; workpeople, how induced to labour; night-work continued until the first week in August, when a gun was mounted on the bastion.-Necessity for abandoning the Muchee Bhowun; order to abandon it telegraphed by Captain Fulton.-The Muchee Bhowun blown up; its garrison join ours in safety.-Loss of ammunition and guns in the fort.-Sir Henry Lawrence wounded.-His death-bed; and character.-Sueceeded in his civil duties by Major Banks.-Incessant fire of the enemy.-Extract from the diary of a staff officer.-Loose horses.— Desertion of native servants.-My own.-Number of the inmates of my house. Our household management, and table fare described.— Ladies messing by themselves suffered great hardships.-Noble conduct of ladies.-Want of loaf bread.-Injury sustained from the enemy's musketry from the surrounding houses.-Casualties, Mr. Polehampton, Major Francis, Miss Palmer, Mr. Ommanney.-Sortie on the 7th of July.-Talooqdars who at this time had joined our enemies.— Our information only hearsay: all regular intelligence had ceased.-Mr. Gubbins after the siege had begun employed no messenger but “Ungud.”—Many were sent out by Colonel Inglis, but none brought answers.-Correspondence of the Seikh Cavalry with the enemy.— Enemy's batteries. And their artillery practice. WE had, as has already been stated, received regular intelligence of the movements of the mutineer troops in Oudh. They had now assembled at Newabgunje Bara Bankee, twenty miles from Lucknow. These facts were communicated by my daily reports to Sir Henry Lawrence. We knew that the mutineers were in correspondence with the Nana at Cawnpoor. No sooner, then, did they hear that the intrenchment there had fallen, than they moved at once upon Lucknow. My scouts brought word early on the 29th of June, that an advance guard of not less than 500 Infantry and 100 Horse had actually arrived at Chinhut, a town on the Fyzabad road, within eight miles of the Residency, from Newabgunje, to collect supplies for the mutineer army which was expected to arrive there on the following day. Sir Henry Lawrence, upon this being reported to him, ordered Captain H. Forbes, with the Seikh Cavalry, to reconnoitre their position. This officer accordingly went out, and soon came upon the enemy's pickets, who fired upon him. He remained observing them during the whole day, and returned at sunset. Myself as well as some others in the garrison, had expected as well as hoped, that this advance guard would have been attacked and driven back. Sir Henry Lawrence, however, meditated a bolder measure, viz., to attack the enemy in force on the next day, of which myself and those not actually employed were kept in ignorance. In pursuance of this resolve, the force in cantonments was quietly withdrawn at sunset, and moved into the Residency position and the Muchee Bhowun. I had heard no whisper of an intention to attack, and I learnt the fact with no small surprise early on the following morning from Major Anderson, chief engineer, who brought me a letter from Sir Henry for despatch; and observed that the troops had started too late. The sun was then well up; and the force had been gone only half an hour. The heat was excessive, and on learning the fact I at once arranged to save the wearied soldiers from its effect, by sending out elephants to convey them in after the expected combat. I had made preparation for assisting them in this way, by obtaining a list of the elephants kept by the native gentry of the city some days before, and these had been requested to send them whenever they might be summoned. Sixteen elephants were immediately collected, and sent after Sir Henry's force, under charge of my own horsemen. It was about 9 o'clock A.M., when the risaldar rushed breathless into my room, and announced to me that our troops were in full retreat, and begged that aid might be sent out. I immediately took him to the senior officer present, Colonel Halford, who lost no time in ordering all the officers to their posts. On my way I met a number of Seikh horsemen and native artillery drivers, returning from the field, their horses covered with foam. Not a man of them was wounded. Reproachfully I inquired why they had fled. They replied only, that the enemy had surrounded them. About half an hour later, another of my horsemen came in: he brought in Sir Henry Lawrence's sword-scabbard, which, he told me, he had received from himself with the message that he was unhurt. Not long after, our troops began to come in, and heartrending, indeed, was it to see our wounded and exhausted men extended, covered with dust and blood, under the porch of the Residency. I found Sir Henry laying a howitzer at the Watergate, to command the entrance to the Residency, and accompanied him to the Redan battery. A party of the 32nd, under Lieutenant Edmondstoune, had gone out, and occupied the houses on our side of the Iron Bridge, and soon a sharp musketry fire began between them and the mutineers, who had reached the opposite end of the bridge. Our 18-pounder in the Redan was brought to bear upon them, worked by Lieutenant McFarlan, and effectually prevented their crossing. Returning from the Redan, I ascended to the roof of the Residency, and could thence clearly see the enemy putting some guns in position, near Thornhill's House, on the opposite side of the river. Thence I was summoned to the protection of my own post. An account of this disastrous engagement was afterwards given to me by several officers, Captain H. Forbes, Captain Bassano, Lieutenant Foster Cunliffe, and Lieutenant Bonham. From these I will briefly recount what appears to have taken place. The force employed was composed as follows: ARTILLERY. 4 guns of European Artillery, under Lieutenant F. Cunliffe. 2 ditto of Ashe's O. I. Battery, under Lieutenant Bryce. 1 eight-inch howitzer, under Lieutenant Bonham. The whole under Major Simons. CAVALRY. Radcliffe's European Volunteers, numbering. 36 sabres. The Seikh Cavalry, under Captains H. Forbes and |