General's despatch in reply to this news urged the rapid advance of Greathed's brigade upon Lucknow. He, however, then expected a further six weeks' blockade; and the event proved that he was not wrong in his expectations.

News was received on the 10th of October through Captain Bruce, the Military Magistrate at Cawnpoor, of the action fought at Boolundshuhur by Brigadier Greathed's column. Anticipating its early arrival, Captain Bruce proposed to join it with a hundred of his "low-caste police." He had raised at Cawnpoor a police force, consisting solely of men of the lowest caste, viz. "mehturs," or sweepers; and I understood that they had been found exceedingly useful. Whether, however, it would be desirable to extend further this principle of enlisting the lowest caste men only, into our new police, certainly admits of a doubt. Most assuredly I would include this class in every description of native force which may hereafter be raised; but to enlist these men only, to the exclusion of others, would, I think, answer no good purpose, and would give great general offence.

I will now make a few extracts from my daily journal.

October 14th.-The rascally Seikh, Jowahir Singh, who deserted from my post a few days before the arrival of the relief force, returned into the intrenchment this day. He had the assurance to be the bearer of a message from Rajah Man Singh (of Shagunje) offering to us an escort of 10,000 men, if we will evacuate the place, and retire to Cawnpoor! He deserves to be hanged. He also brought overtures, I understood, from the Seikhs who before deserted us; and who now think of deserting back again. These rascals were referred to the General commanding at

Cawnpoor, and told to present themselves to him. There is, I think, some disposition to exaggerate the influence and importance of Rajah Man Singh, as well as to palliate his misconduct. Of his position in the province I have already elsewhere given an account. His conduct has simply been that of a time-server. He wished to stand sufficiently well with both parties, ourselves and our enemies, to enable him to join whichever proved victorious. With this view he protected our officers and their families, while coquetting with the mutineer leaders, and sending his brother on a mission to the Nana at Cawnpoor. He long wavered about joining the rebels with his rabble troops; but when General Havelock retired for the second time from his advance on Lucknow, and recrossed the river, he thought that fortune had declared against us, and joined the mutineer force at Lucknow. At present the prospects of the mutineers are gloomy, and Man Singh would, no doubt, be glad to feel his way towards the abandonment of their cause, if necessary. I really regard it to be of little importance to ourselves what part he takes.

October 15th.-Accounts from Captain Sibley, commanding at Alum Bagh, this day received, mention the desertion of a great number of camp followers from that post, from want of food. Also the great increase of the sick there, which now amount to 135!

October 16th. This night, and not unfrequently during the blockade, the enemy opened a heavy fire upon our works during the night, causing us to turn out and prepare for attack. But they never attacked or showed themselves in the open ground.

October 17th. The enemy exploded two mines this day, blowing down by the first a portion of the enclosing wall of the advanced Garden battery beyond

the Chuttur Munzil Palace, where they made a bolà show of entering, bringing their colours into the breach. The leading men being shot down, however, they retired, leaving twelve dead bodies on the ground. The second mine, which exploded in the afternoon, destroyed one of our outposts in the Furhut Buksh Palace, killing three men.

October 19th. - - Visited this morning the 78th Highlanders, or Lockhart's post, and barricade across the main street, leading from the Kaiser Bagh towards the Bailey Guard Gate. This barricade is about 300 or 400 yards from the gate. It was through this street that Generals Outram and Havelock, with the 78th and the Ferozepoor Regt. Seikhs, charged in, on the memorable 25th of September. Our poor fellows must have fallen at every fourth or fifth step; and now their bodies are lying where they fell, covered with a little earth. The body of Colonel Bazeley, of the Artillery, whose fate was for some time uncertain, was found in this street a short distance beyond the barricade, and was recognised by the ring he wore. The effluvium here is still very bad. In the evening, visited the advanced Garden post beyond the Chuttur Munzil Palace, held by the 90th Regt. From the loopholes of a building on the south side of this garden, you look out upon the open place or square, where still are seen the doolies which contained those of our unfortunate wounded, who were cut off on the 26th of September.

October 20th.-A cossid brought in to the General despatches from Captain Bruce at Cawnpoor, from which it appears that Rajah Man Singh's agent sent into Cawnpoor a letter for Sir James Outram, containing a defence of his conduct. He explains his having joined the mutineers, by stating that they had

made prisoner of his aunt at Lucknow, which compelled him to come in; that he was preparing to leave the city again with his levies, when he learnt that our troops had forced their way in, and were about to attack the Kaiser Bagh; and that fearing the dishonour of the King's begums by us, he had hurried back to their defence. He hoped General Outram would not think the worse of him for thus acting; but did not wish to have his name associated with the rebels, and promised that on receipt of a safe conduct his agent should attend. Captain Bruce's answer was a good one. "That Man Singh might well have known that we women, and that the humblest female was secure, much more the family of the King; that if a friend, Man Singh must separate himself from the rebels, and might then send in his agent to General Outram at Lucknow." Sir James replied much to the same effect, and Man Singh professed compliance, and his agent was more than once expected; but he, nevertheless, never came, neither did his master dissociate himself from the rebels.

did not war with

October 21st. Our compound, meaning the enclosure surrounding our house, continues, indeed it continued to the end of the blockade, exposed to the enemy's musketry from two high square buildings known as the Black and Gray Towers; and to go across it was always dangerous. To enable the ladies and other inmates of our garrison to get some fresh air, the porch of the house had been barricaded, by enclosing two sides, and leaving one side open. This morning, while the ladies were seated there, one of our native servants was shot dead within a few steps of them; and as they kept up a heavy musketry fire from the towers, a 9-pounder was opened

upon them, which soon cleared them out. Next day, however, Captain Thomas's (Artillery) orderly, entering our compound after him, was shot through the body by a musket-ball from the same quarter.

October 22nd.-The enemy made an attack on Alum Bagh this day, and, hearing the cannonade, we were a little anxious. Subsequently, however, we heard that they had been beaten off, without ever coming to a close attack.

October 26th.-The good news of the defeat of the Mhow mutineers, by Brigadier Greathed's column, at Agra, reached us to-day.

From the commencement of the siege to this time the voice of music had been hushed. An excellent piano which we possessed had never been opened, and no attempt to revive anything in the way of amusement had been made. Now, however, as the evenings became longer and cold, instead of sitting outside under the porch, the inmates of my garrison usually passed an hour or two together after dark in the public sitting room. There was a private of the 32nd, stationed at my house, named Matthews, who sang very sweetly to the guitar, and latterly our evenings used occasionally to be enlivened by listening to the plaintive strain of "The Old Kentucky Home," and a few other soft ditties which Matthews knew. These few airs will ever retain for us a peculiar, though melancholy, interest.

October 28th. We lost to-day an excellent officer, Captain Graydon, of the 44th N. I., in command of Innes' post, who was struck by a musket-ball in superintending the new works beyond that post.

October 30th.-In the account already given of the mutinies at Seetapoor and Mohumdee, mention was made of the escape from the former place of Lieu