GREATHED'S LEa LEES FROM DELHI.*

Fxoar the beginning to the end of the Delhi campaign, the ase thor of this volume served with two brothers—a lieutenant of ar- tillery, and the Colonel Greathed who after the fall of the city commanded the moveable column which defeated the rebels before Agra and did other good service—be himself perishing in the very moment of success. After a civil career of more than twenty years under the Company, the outbreak found Mr. Greathed Commissioner at Meerut, where he and, his wife narrowly escaped with , their lives, and only_by the fidelity of a native servant. When the advance took place upon Delhi, Mr. Greathed's desire to " accompany the force' was intense, and therefore great was his satisfaction when . he received a letter from the Lieutenant- Governor appointing him his political agent at 'Delhi, attached to the field force." Re joined immediately ; was present at all the actions that were fought on the advance through the enemy's vain but judicious attempts to atop us„ and continued in his post at head-quarters till his death. Throughout this period of nearly four months scarcely a day passed without his writing to Mrs. Greathed about the deeds, temper,,and prospects of the army, his own opinion and that of others upon affairs, the-spirit of the men, the character of the most prominent officers, the -welfare, the wounds, and not unfrequently the death of friends, with miscel- laneous topics that become of interestin such a, position, and sur- rounded by circumstances such as both husband and wife were placed in. It is these memorials, not merely of a deep abiding affection, but also of a constant attention under circumstances, that would have excused long silences in any one, which constitute the volume before us.

The interest of the letters is to a .great extent of a personal kind, and their attraction is rather as a continuous whole of a par- ticular character, than as throwing any very new light upon the origin or facts of the mutiny, or the conduct of the siege. We learn, indeed, that at an early stage of the business a plan of assault in the nature of a surprise was suggested by the author's brother Wilberforce, the Lieutenant of Artillery ; and that it went of owing to the " obtusity of one individual." This postponement Mr. Greathed always regretted ; but when we think of the many days and hard fighting it took to get possession of the city at last, after the English army had been so greatly reinforced, and the natives so dispirited by continual defeats and heavy losses, there does not seem much certainty of an assault completely succeeding in the first flush of the mutiny, even though the Bareilly mutineers had not then joined ; while partial success would have been useless, and defeat most disastrous. This plan, whatever it was, not having been acted upon directly. the army arrived before the city, the further delay was unavoidable ; and Mr. Greathed frequently de- fends the military chiefs from distant grumblers, and civilians who without any knowledge of the facts, and sometimes assuming them to be directly contrary to the reality, were forming plans of campaigns. His account of the sickness, sufferings, and priva- tions of the camp, is not of so dark a colour as the Reverend Mr. Ilotton's ; but Mr. Greathed had had a long experience of Indian life on the road, and was of a cheerful disposition : perhaps, too, the Political Commissioner at head-quarters, saw less and felt less of camp troubles than the chaplain. The notices of some of the chiefs have a biographical, if not an historical interest. Such is the picture of General Barnard, who sunk, like Lord Raglan, a victim to the anxieties of his position and perhaps to age and cli- mate. The scattered notices furnish something like a full length portrait. " General Reed arrived at Allepore just as we were moving off; he re- fused to deprive General Barnard of the command, and the army before Delhi is glad to continue under his command. Yesterday raised him in estimation. He is the perfection of courtesy and very cool under fire.

* " The General dines at six, which is just any bathing time, so I get late for his dinner. He is a charmingly courteous man. Hodson's horse kicked him violently on the leg, and even that did not discompose him. young Barnard is a sharp fellow ; he began life in the navy. • • *

" General Barnard keeps quite an open table, there must be some twelve to fourteen every day at breakfast and dinner. Young Barnard takes the most respectful care of his father ; he anticipates all his wishes and wants. With others he can be as merry as possible, and is full of chaff; I like him very much.* He is a happy mixture of a midshipman and a gu*ardsman.

" General Barnard has disarmed anything like resentment, by coming over to my tent for the express purpose of stating his regret at having mis- trusted me [in Mr. Greathed's opinion of an officer], and he made the amends before others."

These relate to life : here is death.

" We are sincerely grieved at the imminentprospect of losing our excel- lent chief, Gneral Barnard. Anxiety of mind, and constant exposure to the sun, had evidently worked a great change in him, and Sleep and apps' Cite had forsaken him. He was still the same courteous 'gentleman ; buT his spirits were deeply affected, and the cares of his position grew upon him.' These inroads on his mind and body paved the way for cholera, and hest now in a condition from which he cannot be hoped to rally. He was • Zetteri written during the Siege of Delhi. By H. H. Greathed. Esq., late the Bengiil Civil Service, Commissioner and Political Agent of Delhi. Edited his Widow. Published by Longmans and Co. eeeelqent Offieer,!anil on European ground, and in a European ingl't ;la litter) done the State: 'abed, service;' but he was too suddenly. tl into the matt diffieult active seririte in India that could • be i seined, and found himself placed in command of an crony which General Amiron load organized, and, eblig.ed to carry mat operations which ho would set himself have undertaken with the means at hie command. With more knowledge of the relative merits of his troops, and of the enemy, he would

I think, have achieved a Aleut success: 6 C

o my fears about _poor.General Barnard were realized; he meter rallied, and life gradually flickered out. He was buried today at, ten, in the un-• ostentatious way that prevails on service. The rough coffin was placed on gm-carriage, and followed by a dismounted party, of his Lancer escort, ho carried it into the grave-yard. His son accompanied it an a number of I Mille after, We all pitied the poor boy, who struggled manfully with his grief, but his quivering muscles . showed the effort. I never saw more erection betweenlither and son, and he tended the poor General with a

daughter's tendernese. * * * Poor General Earnard's last words in his wandering were, ''strengthen the right,' evidently thinking we were attacked. His property is to be sold today,—and so ends his career."

The main interest of the book, however, is not so much the cha- racteristics of other people, as of the author himself. A terse, direct, buoyant style, carries the reader readily along, even when the topics are slight or personal. The cheerfulness of a man doing his duty, and tor It cause which his conscience convinced him was a right one, with a manly readiness to treat privations lightly and meet difficulties boldly and firmly, continually well out ; but na- turally and quietly, without a trace of self-display or bravado, from beginning,to end. To many persons, a more attractive fea- ture will be found in the family affection that pervades the letters. We do not speak of the nutitang resolution of writing day after day to his wife in the midst of so much pressure—for that was evidently a practice of love ; but there is a similar feeling of af- fection or regard .exhibited to every one with the slightest claim upon him. The exhortations to Mrs. Greathed to bear separation patiently, as 'a tribute to public duty, the 'references to past enjoy- ment, and the anticipations of future happiness, when the duty is performed, have, with the reader's knowledge of the death that was to overtake the writer, a saddening influence, not unlike that which accompanies, the anticipations of future joy by the actors of a tragedy, while the spectator feels their coming doom.

But like other letters written without the idea of publication, the effect must be gained by continuous perusal; the best mode of isolated exhibition is by bits.

Efect of Employment on Health.—" The health of the camp has de- cidedly improved since the rain fell, and, as after. the miserable failures of the enemy to do us material injury, we may without presumption feel our- selves secure from the hands of man, I hope it will please God to ensure our safety by averting all great sieleuese. There is certainly among all who are

i not positively ill a much greater look of health than s' generally seen in a cantonment at this time of the year ; there is none of that appearance of lassitude men assume in quiet quarters, when everything seems a bore and au exeetion." . . . .

A Canner on Sikh Freedom.—" You would be amused 'with Sir Ed- ward Campbell's costume ; it is all flannel of different colours, and put on without the slightest regard to appearance. He carries a number of pouches about him, and a Seikh had been examining them, in their cool off-hand manner: a gunner resenting such familiarity towards an officer, said to Campbell, with a proper appreciation of the times, ' We are obliged bend to circumstances now ; at any other time I would have knocked that fel- low's — head off.' I am afraid the point of the story isin the true reading of the (15511; the urbanity of the opening is in such contrast with the coarseness of the conclusion of the speech, so I had better have kept it to my- self."

commilleClilent of Reform.—" The presence of a clergyman at mesa is working a reform, and Colonel —, who lever he forgets himself and uses the word bearable,' corrects himself and says `devilish.' The effect at present is that you get twojurons instead of one, but great reforms are not worked in a day, or without sacrifice."

Test of nue Christians.—" When the Rifles at Meerut see the Scikhs take their lots of rum like true Christians, they will have a better opinion of them ; they have no points of resemblance with Pandees, and hate them, most cordially."

Silence of Heroes.—" General Nicholson was at dinner : he is a fine im- posing-looking man, who never speaks if he can help it which is a great gift for a public man. But if we had all been as solemn and taciturn during the last two months, I do not think we should have survived. Our genial, jolly mess-dinners have kept up our spirits." Sign of a Falling Cause.—" An emissary came out from Zeenut Muhul, the favourite wife of the King, a great political personage, offering to exercise her influence with the King, to bring about some arrangement. I sent word, we wished her personally all happiness, and had no quarrel with wo- men and children, but could hold no communications with any one belong- ing to the palace."

Material Preparations for Sicyc Fire.—" The engineers' park is a busy scene. There arc forests of gabions, and acres of fascines, all ready to be transported to the scene of action ; and platforms for guns and frameworks of magazines, sand-bags, entrenching tools, ladders, and everything requi- site for the construction of batteries and for the attack. There are two fresh infernal machines, which will, I hope, meet with better success ; if they can but reach the bridge, they mast cause great destruction. "The ordnance park is also a busy scene, and has a formidable appear- ance. Rogge is the life of it, and every one works hard and cheerfully under him. The guns will have to be taken down by bullocks, as elephants

cannot be trusted under fire ; they have a great sense of self-preservation. Every exertion and precaution has been made and taken to ensure success ; and any one who sees the extent of the preparations that arc requisite, would not be disposed to think that much time has been lost."