(?nrneU Inineraitg ffiibtarg StJjaca, Nmo ^atk CHARLES WILLIAM WASON COLLECTION CHINA AND THE CHINESE THE GIFT OF CHARLES WILLIAM WASON CLASS OF 1876 1918 The date shotrs when this volume was taken. To renew this book copy the call Np. and give to the librarian. HOME USE RULES ,^...A\lSil.Q..mi All Books subject to recall All borrowers miist regiS' ter in the library to bor- row books for home use. All books muBf be re- repairs. ^Si(/:vLii. ^thin the four weeklii5tt-f«d not renewed. Students must return all books before leaving town. Officers should arrange for the return of books wanted during their absence from i town. . ' Volumes of periodicals and of pamphlets are held in the library as much as possible. For special pu> poses they are given out for a limited time. Borrowers should not use their library privileges for the benefit of other persons. Books of special value and gift bookSf when the giver wishes it, are not al- lowed to circulate. Readers are asked to re- port all cases of books marked or mutilated. Do not deface books by marks and writing. The original of tiiis book is in tine Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023004116 Cornell University Library DA 68.32.G65 Recollections of thirty-nine years in th 3 1924 023 004 116 ^^^. RECOLLECTIONS OF THIRTY-NINE YEARS IN THE ARMY SIR CHARLES A. GORDON, K.C.B., SURGEON-GENERAL {From a Photograph by MR. A. Bassano, Old Bond Sireti) Recollections of Thirty-nine Years in the Army GWALIOR AND THE BATTLE OF MAHARAJPORE, 1843 THE GOLD COAST OF AFRICA, 1847-48 THE INDIAN MUTINY, 1857-58 THE EXPEDITION TO CHINA, i86o-5i THE SIEGE OF PARIS, 1870-71 Etc SIR CHARLES ALEXANDER GORDON, K.C.B. "The story of my life. From year to year, the battles, sieges, fortunes That I have passed." —Othello, Act I, Sc, 3 ILonlion SWAN SONNENSCHEIN & CO., LiMD PATERNOSTER SQUARE Butler & Tanneh, Tns Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. THIS PERSONAL NARRATIVE IS INSCRIBED TO MY WIFE AND OUR CHILDREN CONTENTS FACE CHAPTER I 1841-1842. Gazetted to the Buffs — Arrive in India. . . . i CHAPTER n 1842-1843. In Progress to Join 12 CHAPTER III 1843. At Allahabad 18 CHAPTER IV 1843-1844. Campaign in Gwalior 24 CHAPTER V 1844-1845. Allahabad to England 36 CHAPTER VI 1845-1846. Home Service 46 CHAPTER VH 1847-1S48. Coast of Guinea— Barbados— England . . . .55 CHAPTER VIII 184S-1851. Ireland 74 CHAPTER IX 1851-1852. Dublin to Wuzzeerabad go CHAPTER X 1852-1853. Wuzzeerabad 85 CHAPTER XI 1854-1856. Meean-Meer— Aberdeen gg CHAPTER XII 1857. Aberdeen— DiNAPORE— Outbreak of Sepoy Mutiny - . .106 CHAPTER XIII 1857. Early Months of the Mutiny m CHAPTER XIV 1857-1858. The Jounpore Field Force 124 CHAPTER XV 1858. Capture of Lucknow 130 CHAPTER XVI 1858. The Azimghur Field Force I3j CHAPTER XVII 1858-1859. Dinapore— Plymouth 147 viii Contents PAGE CHAPTER XVIII 1859- 1860. Plymouth— Devonport '54 CHAPTER XIX i860. Devonport — Hong-Kong i^° CHAPTER XX i860. Hong-Kong— Tientsin i^^ CHAPTER XXI 1860-1861. Tientsin I77 CHAPTER XXII 1S61. Tientsin — Chefoo — Nagasaki— Devonport 1S8 CHAPTER XXIII 1S62-X864. Devonport— Calcutta 201 CHAPTER XXIV 1S65-1868. Calcutta— Portsmouth 213 CHAPTER XXV 1868-1870, Portsmouth 227 CHAPTER XXVI 1870. July-September. Franco-Prussian War— Siege of Paris . 231 CHAPTER XXVII 1870. September. Siege of Paris 242 CHAPTER XXVIII 1870. October. Siege of Paris 24S CHAPTER XXIX 1870. November. Siege of Paris 259 CHAPTER XXX 1870. December. Siege continued 265 CHAPTER XXXI 1871. January. Siege— Bombardment-Capitulation of Paris. . 272 CHAPTER XXXII 1871. February. Paris after Capitulation 282 CHAPTER XXXIII 1871. March. Enemies within Paris 289 CHAPTER XXXIV 1871-1874. Dover— Aldershot .... ,., CHAPTER XXXV 1874-1875. Burmah .... 297 CHAPTER XXXVI 1S75-1880. Madras Presidency— Finale „g Index 315 THIRTY-NINE YEARS IN THE ARMY CHAPTER I I84I-I842. GAZETTED TO THE BUFFS. ARRIVE IN INDIA First Affghan War — Chatham — Fort Pitt — Supernumeraries — How appointed — Gazetted — Breaking in — Orders of readiness — Ship inspected — Embark — First days on board— Typical characters— Warmth — Our "tub" — Reduced allow- ances — Conditions on board — Amusements for men — For officers — " Speaking" ships — A dismasted vessel — First sense of responsibility — Indiscipline — Neptune — On board — Table Bay — Shore boats — Cape Town — Vicinity — Official duties — The ship Lloyds — An "old friend"— The 25th Regiment — The contractor — Botanic Garden — Eastward — Mutinous crew — Land ahoy — Terrible news — The Hooghly. IN 184 1 British and Indian troops occupied Cabul ; but throughout Affghanistan the aspect of things political was alarming. In Scinde the Ameers were defiant and hostile. The Punjab in a state of dis- turbance and convulsion ; law and order had ceased ; isolated murders and massacres instigated by opposing claimants to the throne left vacant in 1839, and since that time occupied by a prince against whom the insurrectionary movement was now directed by chiefs, some of whom were inimical to British interests. Military reinforcements on a large scale were dispatched from Eng- land. Great, accordingly, the activity at Chatham, then the only depot whence recruits and young officers were sent to regiments serving in India. The depot then at Warley was for soldiers of the .Honourable Company's service. Into the General Hospital at Fort Pitt were received military invahds from India as from all other foreign stations. There they were treated for their several ailments ; thence discharged to join their respective depots, or from the service on such pensions as they were deemed entitled to by length of service and regimental character. Then the period of engagement was for life, otherwise twenty-one years in the infantry, twenty-four in the mounted branches. 1 B 2 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1841 There young medical men nominated for appointment to the army underwent a course of training, more or less long, according to indi- vidual circumstances, for the special duties before them ; meanwhile they received no pay, wore no uniform ; they dined at mess, paid mess subscriptions, and were subject to martial law. Professional education included requirements for diplomas, and in addition, special subjects relating to military medicine, surgery, and management of troops. Nominations for appointments were given by old officers or other men whose social position was a guarantee in regard to character and fitness of their nominees for the position sought by them ; certificates by professors and teachers under whom they studied were submitted to the responsible authority ^ at the War Office, with whom rested their selection. Thus in effect a combined system of patronage and competition was in force. With anxious interest a small group of expectants awaited the arrival of the coach by which in those days afternoon letters and evening papers from the metropolis were conveyed. Eagerly was The Gazette scanned when, close upon the hour of midnight, the papers were delivered. Great was, the pride and rejoicing with which some of our number read the announcement relating to them ; great the disappoint- ment of those' who were not so included. The regiment to which I had the honour of being appointed was the 3rd, or " Buffs," the depot of which formed part of the Provisional Battalion then occupying Forton Barracks. 2 The duties assigned to young medical officers were unimportant — initiatory rather than definite in kind. Careful watch and superinten- dence on the part of official seniors gave us an opportunity of learning various points relative to practice, as well as to routine and discipline, to be turned to account — or otherwise — in the career upon which we were entering. But the process of " breaking in " was not without its disagreeables. Courtesy towards young officers on the part of their seniors, military or medical, was a quality rare at Chatham, but where met with in isolated instances was the more appreciated, and remem- bered in subsequent years. The « system " of training in force tended rather to break than bend the sapling. Thus did three months pass away. Then came an order of readiness to embark with the detachment of recruits next to sail. Although about to proceed with those pertaining to what was now " my own regiment," official regulations required that my appointment to • Sir James McGrigor, Bart., Director-General. » The date of appointment as Assistant Surgeon, June 8, 1841. My diDloma-;— I.,R.C.S,E.; M.D.St. Andrews: both April, 1840. > pmas -42] Gazetted to the Buffs 3 charge of them should have the authority of " The Honourable Court of Directors," and that to obtain it, personal application must be made at their old historical house in Leadenhall Street — a formality which was gone through with ease and success. This is what the appoint- ment in question implied : — Not only did I receive the free passage to which I was entitled, my daily rate of pay ^ running on the while, minus ;^S deducted " for messing," but was privileged to occupy the second best cabin on board, and at the end of the voyage to receive in rupees a sum equivalent to fifteen shillings per head for officers and soldiers landed, and half a guinea for each woman and child. In those " golden days " the sterling value of the rupee was at par. The ordeal of " inspection " was duly performed, the requirements on board declared "satisfactory," the formal report to that effect trans- mitted to the authorities. My personal knowledge of those require- ments was absolutely nil. How much more definite that of other members of the Inspecting Committee, was soon to be judged of. For example : side or stern ports there were none, deck ventilators being considered sufficient. Food stores comprised casks -of salted beef and pork ; tins of soup and bouilld, potatoes and other vegetables, some dried, some tinned; pickles and lime juice, bread, otherwise hard biscuit, destined ere many weeks had elapsed to become mouldy and honeycombed by weevils. There were bags of flour, peas, and raisins ; an ample supply of tobacco ; also of rum and porter, to be issued to the troops as a daily ration. The water tanks and a series of casks on deck had been filled — so it was said — from the Thames below London Bridge, when the tide was at its lowest. The day of departure arrived. The detachment of which I was an unit marched away from Chatham Barracks, through Rochester, Strood, and so by road to Gravesend. There it was conveyed on board the Indian; twenty-four hours allowed us to settle down on board; the ship then taken in tow by steamer ; we are on our voyage. A fortnight elapsed; we were no farther on our way than off the coast of Spain. The novelties of first experience afforded subject of observation and thought : those which most impressed us, the clear moonlight, the starry galaxy of the heavens, the Milky Way, the cloud- less sky, the phosphorescence of the undulating sea through which our ship slowly glided ; the masses of living things, chiefly medusa, that floated fathoms deep in ocean. During daylight many land birds flew over us or rested on the rigging. Small though our party was, it comprised its proportion of men is, 6d. 4 Thirty-nine Years in the Army U841 typical in their several ways. The commander of the vessel, soured with life, disappointed in career, tired of sea life, but unable to quit his profession. One of the ship's officers, a young man of deeply religious convictions. An ancient subaltern, inured to the chagrin of having been several times purchased over by men of less service but more fortunate than himself in worldly means. The lady's man, pretentious and vapid, given to solos on a guitar ; the instrument adorned with many coloured ribbons, to each of which he attached a legend ; his cabin decorated with little bits of "work," cards, and trinkets, for as yet photographs had not been invented. The irascible person, ready to take offence at trifles, and in other ways uncertain. A month on board ; the Canary Islands faintly seen in the distance. Already heat and stuffiness 'tween decks so unpleasant that carpenters were set to work to cut out stern ports for ventilation. Our progress so slow that with all sails set a ship's boat was launched, in which some of our numbers amused themselves by rowing round the vessel. Two months, and we still north of the Equator. Various reasons given for tedious progress, among others light airs, contrary winds, adverse currents. But none of these explained the fact of our being passed by vessels, some of which, on the horizon astern of us in the morning, were hull down on that ahead ere daylight vanished. That our ship was alluded to as "a worthless old tub" need now be no matter of surprise. Not more than one-third of our distance to be run as yet got over ; prospects as regarded the remainder by no means happy. The un- welcome announcement made that all hands, including crew and troops, must submit to reduced allowance of food and water. Of the latter, the full allowance per head per day for cooking and all other purposes was seven pints, now to be reduced to six. No wonder that the announcement was not received with tokens of approval. Looking back to conditions as described in notes taken at the time, the contrast so presented between those which were then deemed sufficient for troops on board ship, and those which now exist may not be without some historical interest. Space 'tween decks so limited,* that with men's hammocks slung, those who on duty had to make their way along at night were forced to stoop almost to the attitude of the ordinary quadruped. The "sick bay" on the port side, close to the main hatch, directly exposed to rain from starboard ; except a canvas screen, no separation between the quarters of unmarried and those of married ; no separate accommodation for sick women or children • no prison set apart for the refractory. All over the ship myriads of cock- * The hammock space per man was 9 feet x ij. -42] Gazetted to the Buffs 5 roaches ; these insects, especially lively at night, supplied to men and officers excitement and exercise, as, slipper in hand, they hunted them whenever the pale light given by the ship's lamps enabled them to do so. Cleanliness of decks and fittings was to some extent effected by means of dry scrubbing. The use of Burnett's Solution ^ substituted the odour of the compound so named for that of humanity. By means of iron fumigators in which was burning tar, the atmosphere of 'tween decks was purified, due precautions taken to minimise the risks of fire attending the process. Tubs and hose on deck supplied ample means for the morning " souse." A carefully chosen library provided for the use of our men was placed on board by the Indian authorities ; it was highly appreciated and generally made use of. Among the troops, games of all sorts were encouraged, their selection left to men's own choice. In working the ship ready hands were at all times available. Gymnastics and feats of strength were in high favour, and so, with the routine of guards, parades, inspections, and so forth, daytime was filled up. In the evenings, songs, recitations, theatrical performances, and instrumental music were indulged till the bugle sounded "lights out." Officers had their ways of passing the time. They included games, gymnastics, bets, practical jokes (of all degrees of silliness), cock fighting, wild and dangerous adventures in the rigging, and on Satur- day evenings, toasts, then usual on such occasions, enthusiastically " honoured." A weekly newspaper was set on foot ; the works of Scott, Shakespeare, and Pope, among other authors, carefully studied, and discussions, more or less profitable, held on their contents. Sighting, signalling, and hailing ships was a favourite amusement as opportunity occurred. By some of those homeward bound we dis- patched letters, with passengers on board others we exchanged visits, strange as such ceremonies may seem to those now acquainted only with modern twenty-knot floating steam palaces. While paying such a visit to a ship five months out from China, we learned the " news " that Canton had been captured (on May 25-27, 1841) by the forces under command of Sir Hugh Gough. In near proximity to the Equator we came upon a ship, the Cambridge, disabled, her topmasts carried away in a sudden squall two nights previous. The resolve to stand by and give assistance was quickly taken. Boats were lowered, parties of sailors and recruits, accompanied by some officers, were soon on board. Within a few hours defects were made good as far as that was practicable j meantime night had closed in, a somewhat fresh breeze sprung up, clouds obscured the sky, and ' Solution of chloride of zinc. 6 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1841 so the return to our ship was by no means accomplished without danger. The distance to be got over was still great before the ship could reach Table Bay and renewed supplies obtained. The health of all on board had so far remained good, notwithstanding all the drawbacks experienced. The likelihood, however, that this happy state of things might suddenly come to an end became to me a source of what was the first sense of official anxiety with which I had been acquainted. Excepting two somewhat elderly non-commissioned officers, specially put on board the better to ensure discipline among our recruits, all others were as yet but partly tutored in military duties and order. Unwilling obedience had from the first been shown by several of their number; then came irregularities, quarrels, and fights among them- selves. Nor were the few married women on board ideal patterns of gentleness, either in speech or behaviour. Among the crew were men whose antecedents, so far as they could be ascertained, were of the most questionable kind, and whose conduct on board had, from the first, been suspicious. Between them and kindred spirits among the recruits, it appeared that an understanding had been come to to have what they called " a disturbance " on board. Those intentions having come to the ears of the officers, with the further information that fully ninety men were implicated, preparations were made for emergencies : arm-racks fitted up in the saloon ; fire-arms burnished ; ammunition seen to ; non-commissioned officers instructed as to their duties. But an occurrence which now happened distracted attention from the so-called plot, whether real or imaginary did not transpire. Our entrance into tropical latitudes, some three weeks previous, had been duly announced by " Neptune," who, selecting the period of first night watch for the ceremony, welcomed us from amidst a flare of blue lights on the forecastle, on our coming to his dominions. Having done so, he returned to his element ; his car a burning tar-barrel, which we continued to watch as it seemed to float astern, until all was dark- ness again. On board, " offerings " had to be made to the sea-god, half-sovereigns and bottles of rum, sent to the fo'c's'le, being those most appreciated. While yet in the first degree of south latitude, the sea-god, accom- panied by his court officials, announced their arrival on board, the whole personified by members of the ship's crew, appropriately attired in accordance with their respective official positions. The ceremony of "initiating'' the "children" was quickly in progress, the chief cere- monies connected therewith including shaving, "bathing," besides some -42] Gazetted to the Buffs 7 others by no means pleasant to their subjects. One of our young recruits strongly resisted the ordeal through which several of his com- rades had passed. He succeeded in making his escape from his captors, and quickly mounting the ship's railing, thence plunged into the sea, to the consternation and horror of us all. The vessel was instantly "put about,'' a boat lowered, but search for him was in vain. The occurrence was, indeed, a melancholy outcome of what was intended to be a scene of amusement. But the spirits of young men were light, and ere many hours had elapsed, the song and dance were in progress, as if the event had not occurred. A Court of Inquiry fol- lowed in due time, and then the incident was forgotten. We were now approaching Table Bay. Great was the interest and admiration with which we looked upon Table Mountain, as its grandeur became more and more distinctly revealed. Hardly less was our estimate of the Blue Berg range, by which the distant view was bounded. Soon we were among the shipping, and at anchor. Our ship was soon surrounded by boats, that seemed to come in shoals from shore ; some conveying fruit and curiosities for sale, others suspected of carrying commodities less innocuous in kind. But sentries, already placed at gangways and other points on deck, prevented traffic between our men and the small craft. The aspect of boats and their crews was alike new and strange to most of us : the former, striped with gaudy colours, red, black, and white ; the latter, representing several nationalities, including Enghsh, Dutch, Malay, East Indian, and typical African, their several styles of costume no less various than themselves. Some of our number, proceeding ashore, stood for the first time on foreign ground. Cape Town presented a series of wide, regularly arranged streets, intersecting each other, their sides sheltered by foliage trees. Flat-roofed houses, coated with white plaster, were nearly in- variable in their uniformity . Great wagons, drawn by teams of oxen, from six to twelve in number — and even more — were being driven along by Malays, armed with whips of alarming proportions ; though, fortunately for the beasts of burthen, they were little used. Crowds of pedestrians were on the thoroughfares, interspersed with guardians of the peace, the latter dressed after the manner of their kind in London. It was the month of December; but the temperature was that of summer ; the heat oppressive, as we continued our excursion. Part of that excursion was to Constantia. On the right, the great mountain, rising to a height of three thousand feet ; the space between its base and the road along which we drove thickly covered by forest and undergrowth, the whole comprising oaks, silver and other pines, 8 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1841 geraniums, pomegranates, and heaths, interspersed with herbaceous plants bearing gorgeously coloured flowers. At intervals there were richly cultivated fields and valleys ; on or near them attractive-look- ing houses, many having attached to the latter no less handsome gardens. The road was thickly occupied by vehicles and pedestrians ; among the whites, a considerable proportion of well-looking individuals of the fair sex. There was, in fact, a general aspect of activity and of prosperity. The ordeal of "reporting ourselves" to the authorities was gone through : our reception by one, whose surname indicated Dutch origin, ungracious and supercilious; by the departmental chief so kindly, as by contrast to make an impression upon us, but partially inured to official ways as we then were. Meanwhile, the (necessary steps were in progress for placing on board our ship the milch-needed supplies of food materials and of water. Among vessels that anchored in the bay during our detection, there was the ship Lloyds, having on board emigrants from England to New Zealand. When first they began their voyage, they numbered eighty women and 117 children ; but so appalling had been the mortality among them that, of the children, fifty-seven had -died. In all parts of the space occupied by passengers, sickness and distress in various shapes prevailed. Children, apparently near to death, lay in cots by the side of their prostrate mothers, whose feebleness rendered them unable to give the necessary aid to their infants. A state of indescribable filth existed everywhere ; ventilation there was none in the proper sense. Women and children affected with measles in very severe form, that disease having been brought on board in the persons of some of those embarking; others suffered from low fever, and some from scurvy, which had recently appeared among them. The family of the medical man on board had suffered like the others, one of his children having died. On the deck of the ship lay two coffins, containing bodies of the dead, preparatory to being taken on shore for burial. The entire scene presented by the ship, the saddest with which, so far, I had become acquainted. In Table Bay we again met the Cambridge already mentioned, that vessel arriving shortly after our own had anchored. In a sense we, the passengers of both, greeted each other as old friends ; visits were inter- changed, then leave was taken of each other with expressions of good wishes. By-and-by there came to anchor the ship Nanking, having on board recruits belonging to the service of the Honourable Company. Greetings and cheers were interchanged; for were we not all alike proceeding on a career, hopeful indeed, but as yet uncertain ? -42] Gazetted to the Buffs 9 In" the Castle, a short distance from Cape Town, the 25th Regiment, or Borderers, was stationed, and in accordance with the hospitable custom of the time, an invitation to dinner with the officers was received on board. The party on that festive occasion numbered seventy, the majority guests like ourselves, and now the circum- stance is mentioned as showing the scale upon which such entertain- ments were given. Invited to the house of an Afrikander Dutchman/ we found our- selves in large airy rooms, destitute of carpets, with polished floors ; wall space reduced to a series of intervals between doors and windows ; the arrangements new to us, but suited to climatic conditions of the place. Little attentions shown by, added to personal attractions of, lady members of the family naturally enough left their impression on young susceptibilities. Very interesting also, though in a different way, was our visit to the house of Baron von Ludovigberg. Elegantly furnished, rooms so arranged as to be readily transformed into one large hall, everything in and around marking a life of ease and comfort. His garden, situated in Kolf Street, extensive, elegantly laid out, with large collection of plants indigenous and foreign ; at intervals fountains and ornamental lakes. In the latter were thousands of gold fish, so tame as to approach and feed from the hand of an attendant; to the sound of a handbell rung by him they crowded, though on seeing us they kept at a distance. To the sound of the same bell when rung by us they would approach, but not come near the strangers. Our voyage resumed, away eastward we sailed. Sixteen days without noteworthy incident ; then sighted the island of Amsterdam, from which point, as the captain expressed it, he began to make his northing. Another interval of monotonous sea life. At daybreak we found that in close proximity to us was a barque, the Vanguard, on board of which there was disturbance amounting to mutiny among the crew. The captain * signalled for assistance. A party of our young soldiers, under command of an officer, proceeded on board, removed the recalcitrant men to our ship, some of our sailors taking their place, and so both vessels continued their way to Calcutta. Again was the unwelcome announcement made that short allowance of food and water was imminent, to be averted by progress of our vessel becoming more rapid than it had hitherto been. The ^ Mr. Mechi. ^ Captain Gurwood. lo Thtrty-nine Years in the Army [1841 tedium oi^ the voyage had told upon us ; idleness had produced its usual effect. Chafing against authority and slow decay of active good fellowship became too apparent; all were tired of each other. Another interval. From the mast-head comes the welcome sound, " Land on the starboard bow." Soon we come in view of low-lying shore, over which hangs a haze in which outlines of objects are indistinct. What is seen, however, indicates that our ship is out of reckoning ; that, as for some time past suspected, something has gone wrong with the chronometers. Wisely, the captain determines to proceed no farther for the present, until able to determine our precise position. A day and night pass, then is descried a ship in the distance westward. We proceed in that direction, and ere many hours are over exchange signals with a pilot brig. Twenty-four weeks had elapsed since the pilot left us in the Downs ; now the corresponding functionary boards our ship off the Sand- heads. We are eager for news. He has much to tell, but of a nature sad as unexpected. The envoy at Cabul, Sir William Macnaughten, murdered^by the hand of Akbar Khan ; the 44th Regiment annihilated, part of a force comprising 4,500 fighting men and 12,000 camp- followers who had started on their disastrous retreat from Cabul towards the Khyber Pass ; one only survivor. Dr. Bryden, who carried tidings of the disaster to Jellalabad. Another item was that several officers, ladies, and children were in the hands of the Affghan chief. Progress ■ against the current of Hooghly River was slow, steam employed only while crossing the dreaded " James and Mary " shoal ; for then tugs were scarce, their use expensive. Three days so passed ; the first experience of tropical scenery pleasant to the eye, furnishing at the same time ample subject for remark and talk. On either side jungle, cultivated plots of ground, palms, bamboos, buffaloes and cattle of other kinds. In slimy ooze gigantic gavials ; in the river dead bodies of animals and human beings, vultures and crows perched upon and tearing their decomposing flesh. Native boats come alongside ; their swarthy, semi-naked crews scream and gesticulate wildly as they offer for sale fruit and other commodities. Our rigging is crowded with brahminee kites and other birds ; gulls and terns swarm around. The prevailing damp heat is oppressive. Now the beautiful suburb of Garden Reach is on our right ; on our left the Botanic Garden ; the City of Palaces is ahead of us ; we are at anchor off Princep's Ghat. The " details," as in official language our troops collectively are called, were transferred to country boats o uncouth look, and so conveyed to Chinsurah, then a depot for newly arrived recruits. Our actual -42] Arrive in India 1 1 numbers so transferred equalled those originally embarked, two lives lost during our voyage being made up for by two births on board. Sanitation, in modern significance of the term, had as substitute the arrangements — or want of them — already mentioned; yet no special illness occurred ; my first charge ended satisfactorily. 12 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1842 CHAPTER II 1 842- 1 843. IN PROGRESS TO JOIN Chinsurah— Cholera— Start— Omissions— Relics ofmortality— Collision— Fire— Panic — Berhampore- The "garrison " — Crime and punishment — Civilities— Progress resumed— A hurricane— Cawnpore— Attached to Soth Regiment— The troops — Agra — Sind — Gwalior — 39th Regiment. FIRST impressions of this our first station in India, recorded at the time, were : — Houses of mud, roofs consisting of reeds, fronts open from end to end; members of families within squat- ting, infants sprawling, in a state of nudity, upon earthen floors made smooth and polished by means of cowdung applied in a liquid state ; while to outside walls cakes of the same material are in process of drying, to be thereafter used as fuel by Hindoos. Gardens and cultivated fields abound ; flowering trees and shrubs, cocoa palms, banana bushes, clumps of bamboo, rise above dense undergrowth of succulent plants. A heavy, oppressive atmosphere, pervaded by odours, sweet and otherwise, has a depressing effect, as if conditions were not altogether wholesome. European houses according to Holland model, terraces and gardens giving to them an attractive and elegant appearance, indicating the importance of the place while in the hands of the Dutch, prior to date* of the treaty in accordance with which it was by them exchanged for Java. An extensive range of spacious barracks and supplementary buildings added much to the beauty of the station. Before many days were over several of our young lads had fallen victims to cholera. In this our first experience of that disease we had access to no one capable of giving aid and advice ; we were left to individual judgment, and it altogether astray as to the appropriate method in our emergency. For a time, out of our small party death claimed several daily victims ; young wives were thus left widows, young children orphans. Glad to receive orders of readiness to resume progress by river to next stage of our journey. Then arrived two senior oflicers, — ^ 1815. -43] In Progress to Join 1 3 one to take military command ; ^ the other, departmental charge of our detachment. Country boats provided as before, others of better kind for officers. Our unwieldy fleet started at the appointed time ; * the boats comprising it straggled irregularly across the river, and' having gained the opposite bank, there made fast for the night. Early next morning it was in movement. Mid-day heat became oppressive. One of the soldiers was prostrated by cholera, another by sun fever. Inquiry revealed the unpleasant fact that the "experienced" officer recently appointed for the purpose had made no arrangements whatever for sick. Those fallen ill were now sent in small boats back towards Chinsurah ; and so we continued our river progress, steps being taken to have deficient requirements sent on without delay. Next evening was far advanced ere they arrived. The numbers of our sick had increased, several deaths taken place, some with appalling rapidity in the absence of means of help. The great heat prevailing made early interment necessary. Graves had to be hastily made in groves of trees near the river bank ; to them the dead were committed, our fleet continuing its progress, sailing or tracking* according to wind and current. After night had fallen, the blaze of funeral pyres on the river banks told their tale of pestilence. For several days mortality was great in our small party, and among the native boatmen. As deaths occurred among the latter, the bodies were simply left on the bank to be devoured by jackals, dogs, and vultures, numbers of which were in wait for prey. Some of our boats sprung leaks, and so became useless ; nor was it an easy matter to get them replaced. Men and stores had to be got out as best they could and disposed of among others — proceedings by no means €asy under then present circumstances. At last there came an interval in which the malign influence of our invisible enemy seemed as if withheld. While gliding upwards against the silent river current, suddenly from one of the men's boats there burst a mass of thick smoke, speedily followed by flame, and within the space of a few minutes nothing except the charred framework remained. How, or by what means, .the occupants of the boat escaped did not transpire ; that they did so was fortunate for themselves and satisfactory to all, though the accident, subsequently ascertained to have resulted from their own carelessness, destroyed their entire kits and other belongings. 1 Captain Astier, 62nd Regiment. 2 March 28, 1842. 8 i.e., drawn by means of ropes attached to their masts. 14 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1842 Short was our respite. Suddenly and fatally was our detachment again struck, several deaths by cholera occurring in quick succession. Our somewhat eventful "voyage" was near its end, when in mid- stream two of our boats came violently in collision with each other, considerable mutual damage being the result. An unfortunate panic occurred among the recruits on board, one of whom leapt over- board and so disappeared. Soon afterwards our journey was at an end, it having occupied eleven days; we arrived at Berhampore. Near to the spacious range of barracks in which our young soldiers were accommodated were lines occupied by a native regiment, ^ — at that time reputed to be of distinguished loyalty to Jan Kompanee, with whose liberal dealings towards its own proper servants all were so well pleased. In others were invahds, soldiers' wives and children pertaining to regiments^ employed in the war proceeding against China ; many as yet unaware that they had been made widows and orphans by the climate of Chusan and coast generally. Here the conduct of our lads — for they had scarcely become men — became so reckless that military discipline had to be rigidly enforced, while in many instances severe or fatal illness seemed to be the direct result of their own misconduct. As a ready, and as thought at the time effectual, means of coercion, corporal punishment was awarded by courts-martial. The ordeal of being present during its infliction was nauseating ; but constituted as the detachment was, the punishment seemed to have been in all cases well deserved. General Raper was the officer in political charge of the Nawab of Moorshedabad, then a boy of some ten years old. Several civiUans high in rank, and a few non-official residents, for the most part con- nected with the manufacture of tussar^ silk, resided at Berhampore. From several of them we young officers received much attention and kindness, not only in their own houses but on excursions organized by them for our special benefit. Prominent among those who thus- befriended us, young " griffs '' as we were. General Raper and Charles Du Pre Russell are remembered gratefully — even while these notes are penned, many years after the date and incidents referred to. In due time the order arrived for us to resume our river journey, our destination Cawnpore ; again country-made boats our means of transport. In the early days of August we started on what was to be in many respects a monotonous voyage, though not altogether without its excitement and stirring incidents. The general manner of our 1 2ISt. » Namely, 26th, 49th, and 55th. 3 i.e., silk produced by the Antherea pciphia, and allied species. -43] In Progress to Join 15 progress was that with which we were now acquainted. We were doomed, as before, to be at intervals stricken by cholera, which seemed to have its favourite lurking-places, generally at the foot of a somewhat precipitous alluvial bank. Night after night rest was disturbed or altogether banished by the sound of tom-toms, songs, barking of dogs, cries of jackals ; "sight and smell offended by funeral fires as they blazed in near proximity to us. More than half our journey was got over without special mishap. Our boatmen observe that signs of coming storm appear in the sky ; they prepare as best they can, but soon the hurricane is upon us. Boats are dashed against each other, and against the river bank ; waves break over them, tearing away their flimsy gear, batter- ing some to pieces, their inmates obliged to escape and save them- selves as best they could. After a time there came a downpour of rain ; then gradually the storm ceased, leaving several of our number boatless, and destitute of greater or smaller portions of our respective kits. Among others, I suffered considerably. A friend in need, more fortunate than myself, gave me hospitality on his boat until sometime thereafter, when, with others similarly situated, I chartered a budgerow. A few days after our mishap news reached us that a similar fleet to our own, with troops,'- some thirty miles ahead of us, suffered very severely from the same hurricane that had struck us, a considerable number of the men in it having perished in the river. Without further incident of importance we arrived at Cawnpore in the early days of November, our journey by river having occupied more than two months and a half, the date fourteen years before the terrible year 1857, when that station was to acquire the sad memory ever since associ- ated with it. Anticipating the return to India of the force commanded by General Pollock from Jellalabad, the march to which place had restored British prestige from the temporary eclipse at JugduUuck, Orders were issued to honour that army by an appropriate military dis- play on the left bank of the Sutlej. Among the regiments assembled for that purpose, at Ferozepore, the then frontier station, were the Buffs. Orders had also directed that on completion of that duty they should march towards Allahabad and there occupy the fort, the detachment with which I was connected joining headquarters en route. For the time being we were attached to the soth Regiment, and so continued during the remaining four months of the cold season. Here took place the first initiation into their several duties connected 1 Of the soth and 62nd Regiments ; more than 100 men were lost at SeckreeguUee, that being the place where the typhoon occurred. 1 6 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1842 with regimental life of the young men belonging to our detachment, myself among them. Among the officers in the " Dirty Half-Hun- dred " who had served with it during the Peninsular War, when, on account of the continuous severe work performed by it, the corps obtained its honourable soubriquet, three ^ remained, looked up to with the respect due to, and then accorded to, distinguished veterans. Alternate with duties assigned to us, amusements filled up our time pleasantly. Gaiety was in full flow. Many were the joyous gatherings by which were filled the Assembly rooms — some years thereafter to be the scene of very terrible doings. Outdoor games and sports were the order of the day, the tract of jungle in Oude that stretched along the opposite river bank proving our most happy hunting ground. So it was that time passed pleasantly, if in an intellectual sense not very profitably. At the time alluded to traffic and communication with Oude was by means of a long bridge of boats, that bridge from their attack on which in subsequent days the Gwalior mutineers were to be driven by the forces under Sir Colin Campbell.^ A large force, comprising all arms, then occupied that important station. The impression made upon us, as for the first time we beheld the magnificent spectacle presented by general field-day parades and exercises, was never to be forgotten. The swarthy visages of the sepoys ; their quaint uniforms attracted our notice. The solidarity oif the soth gave the impression of irresistible force. The rush of cavalry, as, like a whirlwind, they went at full charge, to a great extent concealed in a cloud of dust raised by their horses' hoofs ; the magnificent and unsur- passed Bengal Horse Artillery, in performing the evolutions pertaining to them, — these incidents struck us with amazement and admiration. Little did we think that not many months thereafter we were to be even more struck with admiration at the brilliant performance of some of those very troops in actual fight. A trip to Agra ^ introduced me to the experiences of palkee dak. Travelling by night, the distance got over was about fifty miles ; alongside trotted torch-carriers, the odours from those "pillars of flame " foul and offensive. During the day a halt was made at bunga- lows provided by Government for the use of travellers. Thus were four days occupied in making a journey of two hundred miles. In and near Agra various excursions were made and places of interest visited. In the fort had recently been deposited the gates of Somnath,* ' Colonel Wodehouse, Major Ryan, and Captain Tew. 2 December 28 and 29, 1857. ^ On the invitation of my friend, L. C. Stewart, 39th Regiment. ■• Gates of Somnath— carried thence, A.D. 1024, by the conqueror, Mahmood of Guznee. -43] In Progress to Join 17 in connection with the removal of which from Ghuznee the bombastic proclamation by Lord Ellenborough was still subject of comment. The tomb of Akbar ^ and the exquisite Taj Mahal ^ were visited on several occasions. The scene presented by the latter, more especially as seen by moonlight, was extremely beautiful. The minarets and domes of the mausoleum, consisting of pure white marble ; the long avenue of cypress trees by which it is approached ; the fountains in full play ; the orna- mental flower pots, — made upo.n us an impression never afterwards to be forgotten. With the regiments returned recently from Kandahar, aided by troops from Bombay and Bengal, Sir Charles Napier undertook an expedition against the disaffected Ameers of Scinde. In February, 1843, ^^ battles of Meeanee and Hyderabad ended in defeat of their forces, Hyderabad occupied, the country being conquered during the succeed- ing month of March. Of that war it was said : " The Muhamadan rulers of Sind, known as the Ameers, whose chief fault was Out of fifteen officers, twelve were killed or wounded. i8s7] Early Months of Sepoy Mutiny 1 1 3 When the great body of the sepoys at Dinapore mutinied and fled, certain of their number were employed on various duties within the barrack ranges occupied by the British troops. Unable like their brethren to effect their escape, they laid down their arms, declaring themselves to be loyal, or " staunch," according to the phrase of the day; tents were issued for their use, and a neat little encampment established on a space of open ground between the barracks and ad- joining river bank. In the course of the following night screams issued from that encampment ; in due time some soldiers, with their ofiScers, proceeded with lights to the tents, to find several of the sepoys dead, others more or less severely wounded by bayonet thrusts, but without any clue to their assailants. Whether or not, as asserted at the time, the men of the loth were implicated in this dastardly outrage, re- mained uncleared up by the official inquiry which followed in due course. In rapid succession news reached us of events at different places within the sphere of mutiny. The investment of Delhi more closely pressed by the combined British and Sikh besieging forces. From Agra that the rebels had withdrawn therefrom. From Oude that Havelock had resumed his advance towards Lucknow, inflicting en route severe defeat upon the opposing rebels. From Calcutta that re- inforcements were being daily dispatched inland by bullock trains ; but as the rate of progress of those animals did not exceed two and a half miles per hour, considerable time must elapse before the troops so sent can be brought into actual use. Other items of intelligence were, that a body of Ghoorkas sent by Jung Bahadur as an auxiliary force had been attacked by the rebels, upon whom they inflicted defeat with heavy loss. The river steamer Jumna in its progress upwards beyond Allahabad was so heavily fired upon by the mutineers, at the same time the water of the Ganges becoming so shallow, that it had to abandon further attempts to proceed ; there was therefore no alterna- tive but to withdraw. In the city of Patna the condition of things, already unsatisfactory, became still more so, the intention of the Mahomedans therein de- clared to be an attack on the "Kaffirs" on their great festival day of the Mohurrum.i falling this year on 31st of August As a precaution- ary measure, therefore, a line of defences was rapidly thrown up between the city and cantonments. Next came a report that the 9th Irregular Cavalry, after doing good service at Delhi, had fraternised with the rebels ; with them made a dash at a besieging battery protected by * Mohurrum. The first ten days of the Mahomedan New Year are dedicated to the festival so called. I 114 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1857 Sikhs, their attempt defeated by the 75th Regiment. Then sad ac- counts of sickness and mortality by disease in addition to casualties in battle among the besiegers ; for example, the ist Battalion 60th Rifles, 400 strong when it first took up its position, had not in its ranks now 200 effectives. From Allahabad the statement came that some of the " staunch " gun lascars were detected in an attempt to load their guns with bricks and mortar. The state of things in our regimental hospital, characteristic of the time, was this : — In the months of July and August deaths included two officers and seventy men. The long corridor-like wards of the building, together with its verandah, were filled partly with wounded men, remnants of the unfortunate Arrah expedition, partly by those affected with diseases special to the season of the year. The requirements of the wounded demanded much manual attention. What, therefore, be- tween handling wounded tissues and their dressings, finger-tips became sodden like those of a washerwoman, and tender to the touch ; the stooping attitude necessary while performing dressings and operations so fatigued the muscles of the back as to make it painful to be in, or again to change that attitude ; at the same time the moist heat prevail- ing made such exertions particularly exhausting. The hospital had already been fortified, arms issued, and so arranged that in case ot necessity they could be made use of by some of the patients ; sand- bags were arranged for purposes of defence on the roof, the walls loop- holed ; indeed, the only shots at the escaping sepoys of the 40th N.I. were from it. Rumours circulated that a combined line of action by the dis- affected in Patna and mutinous sepoys under Koer Singh, one of the Nana's lieutenants, was contemplated against Dinapore, garrisoned as the station by only a portion of the loth Foot. To meet such a con- tingency, it was proposed to arm the women belonging to the regiment ; nor had those of us who had some knowledge of their general style and prowess any doubt as to the result, should they come in conflict with such adversaries. Indeed, there was every reason to believe that already a mutineer had lost his life by the hand of one of our Amazons armed with a bayonet. The arrival of a Madras infantry regiment, in the ranks of which were some Hindostanees, gave rise to some little speculation as to possible events, should they be brought against their rebel countrymen. At the same time news circulated that a mutinous spirit had been shown in one of the cavalry regiments ^ of that presidency, and in at least two of infantry ^ in that of Bombay. • 8th. ^ 2ist and 27th. i8s7] Early Months of Sepoy Mutiny 115 Under the circumstances of the time, welcome was intelligence by English mail that a powerful force was in progress of dispatch to India; its numerical strength 25,000 men, including Royal Artillery, then to be employed in Hindostan for the first time. Now also came the first faint rumour that the transfer of Indian administration directly to the Government of Her Majesty was intended. From Meean Meer came news of successful action against intended " rising " on the part of native troops at that station, the attending circumstances of that action being in some respects like those of the historical ball ^ at Brussels on the eve of Quatre Bras. Among the regiments disarmed, as an outcome of that action, was the 26th N.I. For some time thereafter the sepoys belonging to it remained " loyal " and " contrite." Suddenly, under the shelter of night,^ they fled, having first murdered one of their officers. At break of day troops were sent in pursuit ; the fugitives overtaken on the left bank of the Ravee. Of their number fully 100 were shot down, 150 or so drowned in their endeavour to swim across that river, the remaining 200 ultimately captured, brought back to their station, and executed. It was of the concluding act of the drama that news now reached us. In the afternoon of September 4, the River Bird arrived from Calcutta, having on board the " Shannon Naval Brigade," under Cap- tain — soon to become Sir William Peel. No sooner were they disem- barked than all paraded for drill. Lookers-on rapidly collected to witness the novel proceedings,vthe wild rollicking manner in which the bluejackets pulled about and worked their ship's guns of large calibre. That evening the officers were our guests at the regimental mess. Our next meeting was to be under circumstances even more stirring than those now taking place. From time to time the papers of the day gave what statistics were available in regard to lives sacrificed, directly and indirectly, by the pre- sent outbreak of the sepoys. According to one paper,^ those numbers were as follows, soldiers, officers, women, and children being included in the totals; namely, Meerut, 29; Loodianah, 3; Sealkote, 8; Fyza- bad, 7; Gwalior, 15 ; Rohnee, i ; Jounpore, i; Jhelum, i; Allahabad, 15; Mehidpore, 7; Mosuifernuggar, i; Bareilly, 70; Delhi — on the outbreak of the mutiny, 82, — killed or died by exposure subsequently, 40; Hissar, 9; Shahjehanpore, i ; Cawnpore, 19 (exclusive of those to be subsequently enumerated) ; Meean Meer, 2 ; Mhow, 34 ; Sooltan- pore, 3 ; Saugur, i ; Neemuch, 4 ; Indore, 2 ; Patna, i ; Moradabad, ' 'At Meean Meer the ball by the 8 1st Regiment took place on May 12. 2 July 30. ' Phasnix, September 28, 1857. ii6 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1837 4; Darjeeling, i; Futtehpore, i; Lucknow, 22; Benares, 5; Agra, 16; Jhansi, 43; JuUundhur, 4; Ferozepore, 3; Raneegunge, 3; Indore, 15 j making in all a total of 494. These numbers do not include the many instances in which lives were sacrificed by ex^josure and hardship, nor the numerous young soldiers who succumbed while being conveyed along the Grand Trunk Road. With regard to the most terrible of all episodes, — namely, that of June 27, at Cawnpore, — an account by one of the very few survivors was published in the Friend of India ; 1 namely, " Those who in the boats survived from the artillery fire directed upon them were taken back to Cawnpore ; the men secured by cords, and with the ladies brought before the Nana, who thereupon gave orders for their destruction. The ladies were placed on one side, the men, bound as they were, drawn up in line, and his troops ordered to fire upon them. Some of the ladies broke away, and rushing to their husbands, clasped them in despair, determined to die with them. A chaplain who was of the doomed number begged that a few minutes might be granted them to prepare to meet their God — a favour which was granted ; others called upon their executioners to finish their bloody work. A volley of mus- ketry ; the victims reeled and fell, some dead, others still alive, though wounded ; their murderers rush upon them with tulwars ; ^ they deal death around, nor do they cease their work when life is extinct, but continue to mutilate the bodies of the dead. The women and children, numbering one hundred and fifty-nine persons, were retained till July 15, and then destroyed by butchers employed for that diabolical purpose. Two days thereafter, but too late to avert the catastrophe the forces led by Havelock entered Cawnpore." At a somewhat later date further particulars appeared^ with reference to the same sad episode. According to them the list of persons whose lives were sacrificed there, whether in the entrenchments between June 5 to 27, in the boats on the latter date, or on July 15, when the last remnant was butchered, as just related, was as follows ; namely, Honourable Company's Artillery, 61; H.M.'s 32nd Regiment, 84; ist European Fusiliers, 15; H.M.'s 84th Regiment, 50; officers of regiments and staff, 100; merchants, writers, and others, 100; drum- mers, etc., 40 ; women and children of soldiers, about 160 ; of writers merchants, and drummers, 1 20 ; ladies and children of officers, 50 ; servants (after many had absconded early in the outbreak), 100 ; sepoys and native officers sick in hospital, 20 ; total, 900. But there 1 Of September 3, 1857. " Native swords. * Calcutta Englishman, October 15, 1857. i8s7] Early Months of Sepoy Mutiny iif is every reason to believe that these figures are approximate rather than actually exact. Orders were, received and quickly carried into effect, whereby the wives and children of men and officers of the loth were dispatched by steamer to Berhampore, at the time considered a place of safety. A company of our regiment marched towards Gya, then threatened by the mutinous 5th Irregulars, and defended only by a small body ot Rattray's Sikhs. The withdrawal of the Treasury from that station resulted in the official ruin of the civilian concerned ; but under the circumstances of the time the verdict of opinion among those on the spot was that his action was justified. Among the refugees proceeding by steamer down country was Mrs. Mills, whose husband, Major Mills, of the Bengal Artillery, had been shot by his mutinous men while endeavouring to escape from Fyzabad, by swimming the Gogra. This unfortunate lady had been wandering in the jungle for nearly three months. She now was ill from hardships and starvation ; one child, an infant, had died, the remaining two were ill with cholera ; she herself nearly devoid of clothing, without servant or other help, almost completely broken down ; nor was it until a few days ago that she learned the fate of her husband. A brother officer of Major Mills, Captain Alexander, placed a suite of rooms in his house at her disposal. In due time she and her children were so far restored in health, and provided with clothing, that they continued their journey towards Calcutta. For some time past a detachment of the 5th Fusiliers occupied a building connected with the Opium Stores in Patna, the rate of sickness and mortality among the men composing it being so great as to equal 90 per cent, of deaths per 100 strength per annum. A visit to the place by Colonel Fenwick and myself revealed the fact that the quarters assigned to them were in all respects unsuited ; while, therefore, the remaining portion of the men were withdrawn, their place taken by men of the loth, steps were taken, and successfully, to avert similar casualties among the latter. Still there came news of mutuiy from stations far apart : from Assam on the one hand, to Ferozepore on the other j while of regiments of the Bombay Presidency, a similar spirit had extended to at least four of their number. Indeed, so general had mutiny become that scarcely a remark was made as the news of some fresh outbreak circulated ; but among officers and men of our regiment the desire was loudly expressed to " get fairly at them in the field," Utile if any account being taken of relative numbers. At this time my own physical state gave way under the weight of ii8 Thirty-mne Years in the Army [issz arduous duties ; several brother officers also were rendered temporarily incapable of work ; but at the earliest possible date we returned to our respective spheres, determined to " put the shoulder to the wheel." The good news reached us that a further defeat had been inflicted upon the Arrah mutineers by Major Eyre. The arrival of reinforce- ments by ship from England had begun to cause wonder and some consternation among the rebels. For reasons the nature of which did not transpire, certain newspapers were temporarily suppressed. The immediate result of that measure was that private letters took the place of the journals so dealt with ; groups of men assembled at the post office on the occasion of morning delivery, news was inter- changed, and thus a tolerable knowledge maintained of events in progress at different stations. From Azimghur came information that there the rebels had been attacked and defeated by the Ghoorka troops of Jung Bahadur.' It was said that a force consisting of 3,000 Cashmere troops, sent by Goolab Singh, was approaching Delhi, in aid of the British, by whom the siege of that city was being vigorously pressed on. Then came news that on September 16 an entrance had been effected by the Cashmere Gate; 125 guns captured, though with a loss to our troops engaged of between forty and fifty officers and 650 men killed and wounded. From Nagpore, that the mutinous 50th N.I. had been attacked, and to a great extent destroyed by the column advancing from Madras. From the Punjab, that some fifty men of the loth Cavalry and a number of mutineers of the 55th N.I. had been exe- cuted by order of Sir John Lawrence. In contrast with these energetic measures were Proclamations by Government, full of sympathic expres- sions with regard to "the poor misguided men," as applied to the perpetrators of deeds already alluded to. A few days passed, and then came information that very stirring events were in progress ; that Delhi was completely in the hands of our troops, the king a prisoner, two royal princes shot by the hand of Hodson.2 The forces under Havelock and Outram had effected ^ an entrance into the Residency of Lucknow, and so "relieved" the besieged garrison of that city. The story of that " relief " was every- where related with pride. But the fact was deplored that the " reliev- ing " force, as a result of the losses sustained, had itself to add its numbers to the besieged. Among the latter, casualties by shot and disease had, up to the date of " relief," included fifty-seven women ' At Manduri, ten miles from that station. 2 On September 21, 1857. » On September 25, 1857. i8s7] Early Months of Sepoy Mutiny 119 and children. On the following Sunday, collections were made in cantonment churches, for the purposes of a fund being raised where- with to aid sufferers by the present rebellion. Thereafter news of successes at different points against the rebels came in rapidly. Thus from Delhi a force had gone in pursuit of one party of them ; in Central India the 5 2nd N.I. was broken up by the Madras column ; near Sherghotty the Ramghur Battalion annihilated ; in the vicinity of Mirzapore a body of mutineers defeated by a small force comprising the 5th Fusiliers and 17th Madras N.I. At this time the " Pearl " Brigade, under command of Captain Sotheby, arrived at Dinapore; two companies of the loth, under Major Longden, started towards Benares, there to be ready for emergencies. At intervals dis- affection occurred in portions of the 32nd N.I., occupying various positions in neighbouring districts. Now came news that the last frag- ment of that corps had broken into mutiny and fled; their object to unite with the rebel force beyond the Soane, commanded by Koer Singh. Information was received that a body of mutineers 4,000 strong, with twelve guns, was in progress from Oude to make an attack on the Treasury at Chupra, and afterwards to threaten our small body of effectives at Dinapore. Then we learned that Rajah Maun Singh, of Gorruckpore, hitherto believed to be " loyal,"— he having given protec- tion to some ladies whose husbands had been murdered by the sepoys, — had joined the rebels with a force of 9,000 men. As a counterpoise to such items, the troops under Colonel Greathead, descending by the Grand Trunk Road, had defeated the sepoys, inflicting heavy loss upon them, subsequently possessing himself of Alighur, together with its guns and stores. A significant indication of the tendency now being as- sumed by bazaar opinion was that native bankers, who in the first outbreak of the mutiny sent their treasure to Calcutta, are having it brought back to their places of business. We were at this time in a position to estimate the strength of rein- forcements already sent, and in process of being dispatched from England, to re-establish authority in India. These comprised eleven regiments of Light Cavalry; fifty-five battalions of Infantry; four troops of Horse Artillery ; eleven companies of Foot Artillery ; seven Field Batteries; four companies of Engineers, equal to a total of 87,000 men. With these there were fourteen medical officers, over and above those pertaining to regiments and other bodies. As each successive body of troops arrived, officers belonging to them were invited to our mess ; thus we gathered something in regard to the tenor of opinion in England in reference to events in progress I20 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1857 around us. Very different was the impression so conveyed, of views entertained at home, from what under the actual circumstances of the time was to be expected. From the long distance, the sepoy was looked upon as mild and harmless in disposition, but driven to revolt by acts of oppression to which he had been long subjected, — those acts, however, mot definitely stated ; Sir John Lawrence and General Neil were said to be cruel and otherwise objectionable persons ; the policy of " clemency " all that was estimable, and to be desired. The contrast between the views so expressed, and actual occurrences such as have been already mentioned, taking place almost before our very eyes, gave rise to comments, some of them more expressive than sympathetic. Meanwhile the progress of events went on. A body of mutinous sepoys had found their way from Delhi to Bithoor, the residence of the Nana. There they were attacked by a force sent [for the purpose from Cawnpore, under the command of Colonel Wilson, their strong- hold destroyed, guns, ammunition, and other stores contained in it cap- tured. At Raneegunge the Headquarter portion of the 32nd N.I.i was disarmed by Colonel Burney, their commanding officer, to whom was given up also the treasonable correspondence being carried on by the sepoys belonging to it. At Agra the camp was attacked by a body of rebel cavalry, estimated at 1,500 strong. The picquet of the 9th Lancers, comprising not more'than twenty-four troopers, under com- mand of Captain French and Lieutenant Jones, charged and cut its way through them ; but in so doing the first-named officer was killed, the second wounded. The station of Chupra in our near vicinity being threatened, the " Pearl " Brigade, under Captain Sotheby, R.N., was ordered by the Civil Commissioner of Patna to proceed for its pro- tection — a new experience for a naval officer to be ordered by a civilian. At our own station reinforcements, comprising a portion of the 82 nd Regiment, were a welcome addition to our weak garrison. Particulars were published of the cost in casualties at which the troops under Havelock attained the relief of the Lucknow garrison ; namely, sixteen officers killed and forty-five wounded ; of soldiers, 400 killed and 700 wounded, equal to nearly one-third of the force engaged. No wonder that in their turn the remnants became part of the besieged garrison. The party of the loth already at Benares was held in readiness to enter Oude, and there act as occasion might require against assemblages of mutineers. At Jounpore, a body of rebels were attacked by the Ghoorkas, who severely defeated them, killing or disabling some 250 out of 1,200 of their strength. Some ghastly ^ From Deoghur. i857] Early Months of Sepoy Mutiny 121 indications of events in progress were furnished by floating bodies in the Ganges, these being seen during several successive days, as with vultures or other foul birds perched upon and tearing their flesh they were carried past our station. Among them were six white bodies, lashed together by ropes, suggesting the means by which the victims had been destroyed. By the end of October, Sir Colin Campbell started from Calcutta to assume direct command of the troops actively engaged against the enemy. Travelling by "dak," and having with him an escort of inconsiderable strength, he narrowly escaped capture by the mutineers of the 32nd N.I., who lay in wait in the vicinity of the Soane, his escape being due to the fleetness of his " gharry " horses. After that incident the same party of mutineers doubled back and endea- voured to enter Oude by crossing the Ganges near Patna, but were •defeated in their attempt by the armed river steamer Koladyne?- ^ In bitterly sarcastic terms the policy of " clemency " towards and sympathy expressed for the " misguided " sepoy found utterance after this manner in the Friend of India : ^ — ^' Pity the sorrows of a mild Hindoo, whose tottering steps have brought him to your door, To murder you he did what man could do, and can you blame him that he did no more? Ripped from the body of your outraged wife, he tossed your unborn babe upon his pike ! Yearns not your heart to save and sooth the life of one who thirsts again to do the like ? ' Forty years thereafter, — namely, in 1897, — Lord Roberts, bearing in mind the events of 1857, writes : — In reply to the question, "Is there any chance of a mutiny occurring again ? " With reference to that question he remarks after this manner : "I would say that the best way of guarding against such a calamity is — By sever allowing the present proportion of British to native soldiers to be diminished or the discipline and efficiency of the native army to become slack. "By taking care that men are selected for the higher civil and military posts whose self-reliance, activity, and resolution are not impaired by age, and who possess a knowledge of the country and the habits of the peoples. " By recognising and guarding against the dogmatism of theorists and the dangers of centralization. "By rendering our administration on the one hand firm and strong, on the other hand tolerant and sympathetic ; and last, but not least, by doing all in our power to gain the confidence of the various races, and by convincing them that we have not only the determination, but the ability to maintain our supremacy in India against -aU assailants. " If these cardinal points are never lost sight of, there is, I believe, little chance •of any fresh outbreak disturbing the stability of our rule in India, or neutralizing our efforts to render that country prosperous, contented, and thoroughly loyal to the British Crown." (Vol. I., p. 449.) * Of November 5, 1857. 122 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1857 You do not kill the serpent in your path, you do not crush the bug when you have caught him ; And why bear malice 'gainst one who hath but turned on you the arms whose use you've taught him. Those arms at present I have flung away, finding that somehow we miscalculated ; And that we should have picked a luckier day to glut us with the blood we hated. And now I stand expectant at your gate, trusting for pardon and fraternal love : Of serpent wisdom 5'ou have shown of late not much ; show me the softness of the dove. And then I promise you, as time shall suit, the rich reward you'll have deserved to share, The untiring hate of a remorseless brute, the poison of the reptile that you spare." While Peel's " Shannon " Brigade, so recently with us, was in progress from Allahabad to Cawnpore, it became united to the S3rd and a party of the 93rd Regiments. The combined force was seriously engaged at Futtehpore with a strong body of mutineers, and although successful in defeating them severely, after a conflict of two hours' duration, the victory was at the cost of many lives, among them Colonel Powell, formerly a brother officer in the 57th. The mutineers of the 32nd N.I., unable to cross into Oude, had again taken up a position on the Soane ; there they were attacked and defeated by Rattray's Sikhs, though not without severe proportional loss among the latter. The party of the loth from Benares came in contact with and routed a body of the Oude rebels at Atrowlea. Meanwhile the forces under Sir Colin Campbell were fighting their way from Cawnpore towards Lucknow. Martial law had for some time past existed at Dinapore. In accordance with that effective code a Court-Martial was ordered to assemble for the trial of a sepoy of 14th N.I., on the charge of taking part in the massacre of our men at Arrah, as already mentioned. Before that tribunal the man was duly tried ; by it convicted and sentenced to suffer death by being blown from a gun. Early in the day following a strong guard of the loth took charge of the doomed man, to whom, in the usual way, the sentence of the court was read. He was immediately marched to the rear of the barracks, where preparations were complete for carrying into effect the dreadful penalty. His step was firm, though his countenance expressed despair and terror ; his hands quivered, lips moved as if in prayer. While being secured in the fatal position, he seemed dazed ; the heart-beat reduced to a mere flutter; a bandage tied over his eyes, he faintly said, " Hummara kussoor nahin hye" — it is not my fault. The officiating assistant stood aside, the hand of the Provost Marshal was raised, there was a loud report, and shreds of humanity flew in various directions. A scene to be witnessed only under i857 Early Months of Sepoy Mutiny 123 compunction of circumstances. Mutineer prisoners brought to the station for that purpose had in all cases fair and open trial. Welcome was the news that during the night between Novem- ber 22 and 23 the besieged garrison of Lucknow had been withdrawn therefrom by the force under Sir Colin Campbell, and was being escorted towards Cawnpore. At the same time accounts reached us of the attack by the Gwalior contingent on the last-named station ; of their temporary success by reason of numbers, and of their defeat with heavy loss in men and guns by the Commander-in-Chief. Worn out by fatigue, — for he was physically a dehcate man, — General Havelock fell a victim to cholera shortly after reaching the outskirts of Lucknow. In the vicinity of Jounpore a small British force came in contact with the Oude rebels. On that occasion our Ghoorka allies were said to have expressed a wish not to fight any more, and to have shown their reluctance accordingly. Then came information that a large number of ladies and children from those besieged, together with a consider- able body of sick and wounded soldiers, had arrived safely at Allahabad from Cawnpore, en route to Calcutta. 124 Thirty-nine Years in the Army 1857 CHAPTER XIV 1857-I858. THE JOUNPORE FIELD FORCE The loth ordered on service — The start — More defeats of rebels — The Jounpore field force — Preparing for work — Action at Chanda — Hummeerpore — Forced inarches — Sooltanpore — Captured relics — Reinforcements — Rebel messengers — An attack — A wounded officer — Arrive at Lucknow. ORDERS to take the field had been expected, and preparations made accordingly in the loth, so that when they did arrive all was in readiness to carry them out immediately. Uncertainty for some time prevailed with respect to the 73rd N.I., professedly and somewhat demonstratively "loyal," but known to be in a dangerous state of disaffection, ready to sweep over the indigo-yielding places in Tirhoot, some of the planters from which, abandoning houses and factories, had betaken themselves to Dinapore for safety. ' A report spread that a body of rebels had crossed the river Gogra and threatened the "Pearl" Brigade at Sewan ; a steamer accordingly started to Benares, convey- ing detachments of the loth and 37 th Regiments, to be in readiness to act from that base as circumstances might require. Reports at the same time told that the nth Irregulars had broken away from Ber- hampore ; that they had been severely handled by the 5th Fusiliers, but that they were making their way towards Tirhoot. By daylight on December 23, a detachment of our men and oflScers was in progress of embarking on board a steamer for conveyance towards Chuprah, at and from which place they were intended to act in concert with bodies of Ghoorka troops for the assistance of threatened stations in Tirhoot. Equally early on the 24th our head- quarters marched away from barracks. Arriving in due time at the point where the Ganges was to be crossed, much delay resulted from the incompleteness of arrangements made for the purpose. Evening had far advanced when we arrived on our camping-ground ; tents were far behind; so were the messing arrangements. From such " reserves " as our haversacks supplied our first meal was taken, after -58] The J ounpore Field Force 125 which we bivouacked "on the cold ground," under shelter of a mango grove. Next day being Christmas Day, equipment and arrange- ments were got into working order and ready for eventualities. On the 26th the'sound of firing, as if at Sewan, indicated that the arrival of the 10th was none too soon, and shortly thereafter news came in that an attack, not determined in character, by the mutineers had been re- pulsed. In the course of the next few days the Nepaulese contingent captured a considerable number of mutineers belonging to the nth Irregulars, but those of the sth Irregulars succeeded in joining the body of rebels assembled under Koer Singh. New Year's Day brought the welcome news that the rebels had been severely beaten at Alumbagh by Sir James Outrara, great loss inflicted upon them, and four of their guns captured ; also that Colonel Seton had defeated a body of mutineers at Futtyghur. Having moved our camp to a position north-westward of the town, we discovered a saltpetre manufactory for the use of the rebels. Firing was again heard in our near vicinity, indicative, as we soon learned, that our Nepaulese allies had attacked a rebel village, which they captured and destroyed. The loth were ordered to advance towards Azimghur, to be joined en route by other regiments, the combined force to be named the Jounpore Field Force, commanded by Brigadier-General Franks. On the second day of our progress, at a place called Muttyala, the first active signs of disaffection were shown by some of the villagers ; it was quickly suppressed, however, by the simple method of handing over to the Provost Marshal those who had so acted, and having them flogged. No further trouble with natives was experienced; and so, without adventure, on the fourth day of our march we crossed the river Gogra, and entered the district of Azimghur. Thence to the provincial city our progress was cautious and wary ; villages through which our route lay were seen to be deserted by their ordinary in- habitants, except the old and very young, by women and the infirm. At Azimghur — once a prefty and otherwise favoured station— the pubUc buildings, including the church, had been reduced to charred and roofless walls, gardens wasted and disfigured ; a series of huts in course of being erected for the faithless sepoys at the time, when on June 3 the 17th N.I. broke into mutiny, left standing as they then were ; the gaol strongly fortified, everything destructible bearing an aspect of ruin. Within the intrenched position at the gaol a small force of Ghoorkas kept at defiance the rebel sepoys who had already made two unsuccessful attacks, with considerable loss in life and of two of their guns. Resuming our progress, the loth reached Aroul on 126 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1857 January 26. There the various portions^ of the force of which we were to form a part united, and was organized for its prospective duties. A halt of three days sufficed. On the 29th a march of twenty- three miles was performed by our little army, the minimum quantity of equipment and transport accompanying it. Several houses in ruins, belonging to planters, were passed in our progress to the river Goomtee ; that river was crossed, and about midnight we bivouacked on Oude territory. By break of day our force was again in motion towards its objective point, now known to be Lucknow. That day's march was uneventful, except that the water in the roadside wells was rendered unpalatable by branches of neem tree (Melia Azadirachtd) thrown into them by the rebels. A short halt was made at Singramow, during which preparation was made for eventualities. Intimation was there received that the rebels were collecting their forces at Chanda, about a dozen miles in front of us, and that their pickets had ■ advanced to within four or five miles of our camp. On February 19 our force was under arms at daylight, and then began its advance towards the enemy. About nine o'clock a halt was ordered ; men and officers partook of such " break- fast" as under the circumstances they could get, while staff officers rode to the front to reconnoitre. A long line of rebels was seen to occupy a somewhat elevated position at a little distance from us. Our guns immediately advanced, opened fire upon them, their fire being for a short time returned. The loth — Colonel Fenwick at their head — threw out their skirmishers, and thus covered, advanced at steady pace towards the point where the rebels seemed thickest. They, however, did not long stand their ground ; before our men came within striking distance the sepoys gave way and took to flight. Pursuit was im- possible, by reason of want of cavalry ; but the small band of mounted infantry, recently extemporised from the loth, managed to come up, with some of the enemy, of whom, in the language of the day, they "gave a good account." We subsequently learned that the forces against whom we had been engaged comprised 8,000 men, commanded by Bunda Hussun, a lieutenant of Mendhee Hussun. It was intended that our force should encamp on the field whence the rebels had fled. While halting for that purpose, it was found that a second engagement was to take place ; that the enemy had taken up a position at Hummeerpore, a little distance from their former, and 1 Our force consisted of the loth, 20th, and 97th British regiments ; six battalions of Nepaulese troops, under the command of General Pulwan Singh ; two Field Batteries, and some thirty to forty mounted men of the loth. By virtue of seniority I assumed medical charge. -s^] The Jounpore Field Force 127 under shelter of a wood. From there their guns soon opened fire upon us. Ours quickly replied ; a few casualties in our ranks were the result, when darkness having put an end to the duel we bivouacked on our ground. When morning dawned, it was seen that the position they had occupied was abandoned ; our camp was accordingly pitched, and so we remained, prepared for the next move. Resuming our advance towards Lucknow, two successive marches of great length, and consequently fatiguing, were performed, consider- able numbers of our transport animals completely breaking down, and so being the cause of much inconvenience to our force. On the 23rd, about 10 a.m., our skirmishers drew upon them fire from a position taken up by the rebels at Sooltanpore. That position was attacked, and from a direction unexpected by them ; thus dis- concerted, their fire was comparatively little destructive in our ranks, nor was it long before — having discharged upon us a volley of grape — they abandoned their artillery and fled, leaving fourteen guns, besides stores and a large quantity of equipment, in our possession, also much ammunition and loot. Again the mounted men of the loth ^ did good service in pursuit of the fugitives ; some of our artillery followed, and it was said destroyed large numbers of them, the loss to our troops engaged being again comparatively small. Thus were the forces of Mendhee Hussun defeated, though numbering 6,000 regular sepoys and 6,000 matchlock men ; the station of Sooltanpore recovered after being held by the rebels since the previous month of June. After some delay our camp was pitched on the ground our men had won, and we halted for a day. A party dispatched to destroy a manu- factory of gun carriages deserted by the rebels came upon various relics, with which doubtless were connected sad and painful associa- tions; these included what had been an elegant barouche, a palkee garree, and a metal toy — the whole pertaining to victims of the first outburst of mutiny among the troops there stationed. Near our camp the artillery were occupied in bursting the guns deserted by the enemy. On the 25th our force resumed its march at daylight, and so con- tinued till late in the afternoon, making one short halt to allow the troops to draw water from some village wells, a second to cook and distribute food. Shortly after we had started a very hideous object presented itself to view ; it was the body of a native suspended by the feet from a branch of a tree, his arms dangling in mid-air, and so doubtless indicating the cruel manner of his death. Arrived at ^ Under Captain Bartholomew. 128 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i&s7 Mosufferkhan, where it was arranged that our camp should be pitched, we found awaiting to join us a reinforcement of Sikh and Pathan Horse, together with some mounted men comprising half-castes and Christians who had belonged to mutinied or disbanded regiments all of whom had been sent by forced marches to our aid. Some stray- mutineers were discovered in near proximity to camp by our scouts, and by them duly " disposed of." A long and arduous march through difficult country; the villages along our route deserted by their inhabitants, the fields destitute of labourers. On arrival at our camping ground near Jugdispore, it was ascertained that our advance guard had fallen in with and captured two messengers conveying a purwana, or order, from the Ranee of Lucknow to the zemindars of the district just traversed by us, intimating to them the advance of a small body of English, and calling upon them to destroy the intruders at Sooltanpore ; also to send without delay provisions for the rebel troops holding Lucknow. A day's halt and much-needed rest for man and animal. On 28th a long march, in the course of which we passed through some villages strongly fortified and loopholed, but deserted by inhabitants. Reinforced as we now were by cavalry, they scoured the vicinity of our route, in the course of their proceedings coming upon seventeen rebels, some wearing the uniform of their former regiments, all of whom they killed. With rain and boisterous weather the month of March began; it was therefore somewhat late in the morning of the ist when our advance was resumed. As we proceeded, the discovery was made by our scouts that a considerable body of rebels occupied a point at some little distance on our flank. The main body of our force was accordingly halted, while a portion was sent against the mutineers, the result being that in the attack upon them the latter had sixty of their numbers killed or wounded, and lost two of their guns. Resuming progress, we traversed a number of towns and villages, all strongly fortified, but sparsely occupied. Night had closed in when we reached our halting-place. While tents were being pitched, lurid flames at intervals in our near vicinity told the fate of villages and isolated houses. During the attack just mentioned several hand-to-hand conflicts took place between the Sikh troopers and the rebels. In one of these an ofiicer received a tulwar cut which severed an artery. By-and- by I came upon him, prostrate on the ground, alone, and bleeding to death. A ligature was applied to the divided vessel ; he was placed in a dooly, and so carried to my tent, where he remained during the fol- lowing night. While there he was visited by some of his men, who -s8] The Jounpore Field Force 129 laid before him various articles of loot — some valuable — of which they had possessed themselves, and now presented to him. In contrast with an incident shortly to be related, and also in its way characteristic of a class, the fact made an impression upon me that under the parti- cular circumstances of time and place, the officer alluded to ^ offered to me — -who in all likelihood had been the means of saving his life — not one thing of the many laid out for display on the floor rug of my tent. Early on March 3 the sound of heavy guns from the direction of Lucknow told that active work was in progress there. Later in the day a staff officer, escorted by a squadron of the 9th Lancers and two Horse Artillery guns, arrived in camp as bearer of dispatches. These con- tained orders that on the morrow our force should advance and take up the position assigned to it in relation to the contemplated attack on that capital. They informed us that already the Dilkhosha had been captured. On the following day our force was accordingly in motion towards Lucknow. It had not proceeded far when information was received that a small body of rebels occupied the inconsiderable fort of Dowraha, situated at the distance of a mile or so from our line of route. A body, unfortunately, as events proved, too small for its intended pur- pose, was detached with the object of effecting its capture ; but with the loss of one officer killed and several casualties among the rank and file, the position had to be left untaken, while our force continued its march. In the afternoon we took up the position assigned to us on an exten- sive plain between Dilkhosha and Bebeepore, and so merged into the general force under the Commander-in-Chief. ^ For his gallantry in the attack mentioned he was awarded the Victoria Cross. 130 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1858 CHAPTER XV 1858. CAPTURE OF LUCKNOW ' Rifles , against cannon — The sailors' battery — The circle narrows — The loth in Lucknow — The Moulvie's house — Ladies rescued — Surgeon's place in battle — Soldiers' gratitude — Martiniire — Wrecks of victory — The city — The Residency — Isolated casualties — Flight of sepoys— Columns in pursuit. THROUGHOUT March 5 heavy bombardment continued, the bat- teries of rebels within Lucknow replying actively to those outside the city. On the 6th, Captain Graham's company of the i oth occupied an intrenched position at an angle of the Mohamed Bagh, where during the night temporary defences had been thrown up, the task assigned to, and successfully performed, being by their rifle fire to keep down that from rebel guns of a battery close to Begum Serai. It became an exciting sight to watch the enemy as they moved their guns into the several embrasures of their battery preparatory to discharging them upon our position, and then the effect of the volley poured into those embrasures by our men ; then the burst of flame — our soldiers instantly throwing themselves prone on the ground ; the thud of round shot upon our pro- tecting rampart ; our soldiers starting to their feet, pouring volley after volley as before into the embrasures, while the guns were being lowered therefrom to be reloaded. Thus the seemingly unequal duel went on. After a time the rebel fire from that particular point began to slacken, then ceased. The men of the loth had done their work right well. Other portions of our general force were engaged elsewhere, preparatory to the grand attack about to be delivered. Steadily during the next two days the circle of fire narrowed around the city. On the 9th a more than usual heavy artillery fire took place between our forces and the enemy. The sailors' battery of 68-pounders was engaged against large bodies of the rebels assembled among a range of ruined buildings at the western end of the Martinifere, the men who worked the guns taking affairs with such coolness that, in the intervals between firing, cleaning, and loading their respective pieces. Capture of Lucknow i.^r they squatted in parties of four on the ground, and proceeded with games of cards, in which they seemed to take as much interest as in the effect produced by their fire. About 2 p.m., to an increased rapidity of fire from sailors and artillery guns was added more active pings of rifles, and somewhat later on the position of the Martinifere was in the possession of our force. Two more days of arduous work by all ranks, the rebels gradually but steadily being pressed in from their advanced positions ; the siege guns opening heavily upon the city; bodies of rebels in their en- deavours* at flight falling into the hands of our troops, many of their own numbers being killed. Our force increased by the arrival of reinforcements from Cawnpore, and by that of 10,000 Ghoorkas under Jung Bahadur, the advent of the latter causing some interest, and not a little amusement, dirty and untidy, flat-faced, small-sized as they were, their guns drawn by men instead of horses, their whole aspect more suited to dramatic effect than for such work as was then in pro- gress. On March 11 the Begum Kotee was stormed and captured by a combined force of 93rd Highlanders, 4th Sikhs, and Ghoorkas, the losses sustained by the assailants being on the occasion very heavy in both men and officers. In the afternoon of next day, the loth, led by Colonel Fenwick, occupied the position thus so gallantly won. Every- where around signs indicated the deadly nature of the struggle that had taken place during its assault. Bodies of defenders, bleeding and mangled, lay in heaps ; some were being thrown pell-mell into a V-shaped ditch, down, then up the sides of which our troops had in the first instance to scramble, while exposed to terrific fire by the defenders. As we entered, our artillery hastened to prepare for its further work of bombarding at close quarters. During the night we bivouacked within the city. On the 13th, the loth forced its way against severe opposition directly through the city towards the Kaiser Bagh, while other portions of the troops were similarly at work from other directions. Again, as night closed in after a day of most arduous work and heavy list of casualties among our numbers, the loth bivouacked in streets and gardens wrested from their sepoy occupants. On the 14th the regiment went on with its work of conquest, heavy fire from roofs and loopholes bringing to earth, now one, then another, and another of our men as we continued to advance. At last the Kaiser Bagh was reached ; it was quickly entered by Captain Annesly at the head of his company, by means of a gateway first detected^ by Havelock, then adjutant of the lothj thus the central point within the city, held by the rebels, was now in the hands of our troops. 132 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss At a short distance from that position, and partly hidden by other buildings, were the ruins of what had until the previous day been the residence of the notorious Moulvie,^ by whose orders, in the earlier days ot the mutiny, several of our countrymen and countrywomen who had fallen into the hands of the rebels were put to death. As en-? troops now entered the enclosure within which those ruins stood, they came upon two gory heads of British soldiers, who had during recent operations been captured by the rebels. The Moulvie had, however, escaped, but was known to be in the still unsubdued part of the city, whence he exerted command over the rebels yet actively engaged against our forces. A communication of romantic and pathetic interest now reached the more advanced portion of our force. It detailed the fact that two ladies ** were in the hands of the rebels, their lives threatened, their position in other respects one of serious danger ; it urged those into whose hands it might fall to press onwards to their rescue. As subsequently trans- pired, those ladies were held prisoners by Wajid Ali, and by him treated with some degree of consideration, so much so that suspicion was brought upon him in respect to his fidelity to the rebel cause. He it was also who sent, by the hand of his brother, to the nearest British officer, the letter alluded to. Instantly on receipt of it. Captain McNeil and Lieutenant Bogle, at the head of a rescue party of Ghoorkas, started under the guidance of the bearer of the letter. The house in which the ladies were was quickly reached; the two captives were placed in doolies, and together with their protector escorted, notwith- out much difficulty and risk, to the camp of General Macgregor. While these operations were in progress, one or other regimental sur- geon was constantly with the fighting line, rendering what aid was practicable to those struck down ; and here it is well to mention that whenever officer or soldier felt himself wounded, his first call was " for the doctor." Nor is it to be questioned that the moral effect of our presence was very considerable ; the presence of a hand to succour im- parted confidence. As soon as practicable, the wounded were withdrawn to our hospital tents, and there their injuries more particularly attended to. While work in front was in progress, and as a consequence that in hospital was most active, I was on an occasion occupied during twilight in so affording 1 The Moulvie of Fyzabad, known by the name of Ahmed Alee Shah (also called Ahmed Oola Shah), was a native of Arcot, in the Madras Presidency. He was said to understand English and to have been a man of acumen and boldness. He was ultimately killed at Powayne. 2 Mrs. Orr and Miss Jackson. »ss8] Caphire of Luc know 133 aid to a wounded soldier just brought in, myself on my knees on the ground and leaning over him. A touch on my shoulder, and then in a soldier's voice, " Here, sir, put that in your haversack," the action accompanying the word, and the man passed on his way, my attention too much occupied to observe his appearance. When work was done and I returned to my tent, I examined my haversack ; , I found therein a brick of silver, of sufficient size to make, as subsequently it did, a tea and coffee service, the donor remaining unknown. The circum- stance is noted, as in contrast to that already mentioned, in which an officer was concerned. A visit to the Martinifere revealed the effects of recent operations against that building ; statues and other works of art dilapidated, broken, and in ruins ; doors and other woodwork torn and split, walls, ceilings, corridors injured in every possible way, large masses oi debris at particular places indicating those upon which shot and shell had been most heavily directed. From the summit of the building we traced the route by which, in the previous October, the relieving force had effected its advance, together with some of the buildings historically associated with that gallant feat, including the Yellow House, Secundra Bagh, Mess House, and Motee Mahal. In our field hospital the wreck of our " glorious victory " was to be seen in plenty ; officers and soldiers, wounded, maimed, or in various instances terribly burnt and disfigured by explosions ; many groaning in their agony, others placidly bearing their sufferings, a few unconscious to pain, the death-rattle in their throats — all arranged on pallets, and far less comfortably seen to than were their comrades fortunate enough to be taken into their own regimental hospitals. The streets along which the loth had so recently forced its way to the Kaiser Bagh presented a scene of utter devastation : walls blackened, loopholed, shattered with shot-holes of various sizes, the buildings roof- less and tenantless except by dead bodies gashed or torn by bullets, their cotton-wadded clothing burning, sickening odours therefrom contaminating the air ; heaps of debris everywhere, furniture, utensils and dead bodies, all mixed up together ; breaches made by heavy guns to make way for advancing infantry, round shot by which they had been effected ; domes, at one time gilded and otherwise ornamental, but now dilapidated and charred ; costly furniture, oil paintings once of great value, ornamental glass and china strewed about, and everywhere to be seen; ornamental garden lakes black from gunpowder cast^nto them ; the gardens trodden down, mosaic work of cisterns broken into fragments. At Secundra Bagh, where on November 16 some two thousand sepoys perished at the hands of the 5 3rd and 93rd Regiments, 134 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss the bones of the slain, now, four months after the event, lay in heaps, a heavy odour of decomposition pervading the enclosure. At the Residency a deep irregular-shaped pit immediately outside the Bailte Guard mafked the spot where, in the latter days of the memor- able siege, the rebels had prepared their mine against the defenders of that position ; inside and close to the same entrance were the remains of the countermine by which the operations connected with the former were detected, and itself sprung upon the besiegers. The, door of that gateway, penetrated and torn by bullets ; buildings roofless and bespattered with shot-marks, including that where ladies and chil- dren spent the eighty-five days to which the siege extended, and that in which Sir Henry Lawrence received his death-wound, — the whole presenting an epitome of what war implies, not to be forgotten. For some time after Lucknow was virtually in the power of our force desultory fights continued to occur at places in and around the city. In the portions actually held by our troops, isolated men occasionally fell by a rebel bullet. Among other casualties, two officers had the misfortune to fall into the hands of the sepoys, by whom they were put to death, and their heads, so report said, borne away as trophies. No sooner had the principal positions held by the rebels been captured from them than their flight from the city began, at first in small bodies, but rapidly increasing in numbers as channels of egress became known among them. Although without artillery, considerable numbers carried their small arms, while others were content to abandon everything, and seek only their own safety. One armed body of the fugi- tives, while endeavouring to get away in the direction of the Alurabagh, was fallen upon by our troops and severely dealt with ; in other directions, however, the fact became known that large bodies effected their escape without being attacked, in places where no special difficulties inter- vened, — nor did explanation of the circumstance transpire. ^ Several field columns were immediately organized and dispatched along different routes known or believed to have been taken by the escaped rebels. Years afterwards the gallant services performed by one of those columns ^ were detailed in a published Biography. Other bodies found their way to the neighbourhood of Azimghur and there united with a considerable force of their brethren, which had on March 21 defeated a small body of British troops at Atrowlea, obliging it to retire within entrenchments at the first-named city. » Sir Hope Grant, K.C.B. i8s8] The Azimghur Field Force 135' CHAPTER XVI 1858. THE AZIMGHUR FIELD FORCE The force extemporised — Jounpore — Tigra — Azimghur — Prestige — Casualties — Pur- suing column — Mr. Venables — Night march — Painful news — Ghazepore — Recross the Ganges — Arrah — Preparations — ^Beheea — ^Jugdispore — Resting — Tungle fight — Chitowrah — Heat and exhaustion — Work under difficulties — Our commissariat lost — Peroo — Bivouac — Return to camp — Threatened attack — Village destroyed — Our physical condition — Dhuleeppore — Preparing for attack — Guns recaptured — A sad duty performed — Sick and wounded — Messenger mutilated — Keishwa — Slaughter — Force to Buxar — Non-effectives — The force ceases to exist — General orders, thanks, and batta. THE task of the loth was looked upon as finished ;"the regiment had been sixteen years in India, the entire period continuously in the plains. With an expression of glee on the parf of the men was the order received to commence our homeward march, — that is, to pro- ceed towards Calcutta, there to embark for England. On the 28th of March the regiment turned its back on Lucknow ; after several hours of weary progress it reached its camping ground. About mid- night we were roused from slumber by the arrival of a cavalry escort and Staff Officer, with orders that the regiment should march forthwith towards Goorsagunge, there to form part of a field force under com- mand of Brigadier-General Lugard, its object to raise what had become the siege of Azimghur by the combined rebel forces just' mentioned. Before ten o'clock on the 29th our soldiers, to use their own expression, had " done twenty-eight miles of road, heel and toe," disappointed at the unexpected change in destination, but also, in their own phrase, " ready for the new work cut out for them." Other portions of what was to be the Azimghur Field Force ^ quickly reached the appointed rendezvous, and the process of organization was complete. Then we learned that the combined rebel force under Koer Singh surrounded Azimghur ; that a body of British, while en route thither from Benares, ' It comprised loth, 34th, and 84th Regiments, 1,700 Sikh cavalry, a portion ot military train as cavalry, and three batteries of artillery. I was principal medical officer, also in charge of the Staff, in addition to my regimental duties. 136 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss had sufTered severely while in conflict with them ; that therefore the rapid advance of that under General Lugard was urgently called for. Continuing our march from day to day, we traversed much of the route by which our advance upon Lucknow had recently lain, it being marked by whitened bones of men slain, ruins of villages, and huts destroyed by fire ; otherwise no event worth notice occurred until the 9th of April, by which date we had reached Budlapore. On the morn- ing of that day our force marched from its camp at 2 a.m., proceeding thence direct to Jounpore, a distance of twenty miles. There informa- tion was received that the rebel troops around Azimghur were com- manded by Mendhee Hussun, Koer Singh being present with them. Men and animals, tired out by fatiguing marches, were equally con- strained to make one day's halt. On the morning of the nth informa- tion led General Lugard to deviate from the regular route and proceed towards Tigra, situated on our left, adjoining the left side of the river Goomtee, the rebels under Gholam Hussun being reported to have there taken up a position. A reconnoitring party speedily discovered the point taken up by about 500 rebels with two guns ; they were at once attacked by our irregular cavalry, eighty of their number killed, the remainder dispersed, though this small affair lost the life of Lieutenant Havelock, cousin of our Adjutant. Another day's halt to rest our men and animals ; the heat already severe, 102° F. in our tents. Resuming our progress, our force arrived within striking distance of Azimghur after darkness of the night had closed in, and bivouacked on the position assigned to us, the rebels for some time disturbing our rest by their bullets that kept dropping among our ranks. With dawn on the 15 th the several members of our body militant were at their posts, prepared for the work before them. As the loth moved forward past a strip of dense jungle that skirts the river Tonse^ a smart fire was opened upon us from the thicket, as also from a grove at some distance across that stream. The first of these positions was at once attacked by our artillery, the infantry rapidly following; by means of a dilapidated bridge hastily repaired, some cavalry and artillery got across and so attacked the second. Other portions of our force were engaged with similar activity at the points assigned to them respectively, the result being, that after losing con- siderably in their numbers, the rebels fled pell-mell, and as we entered the city only some of their killed and wounded were anywhere met with. It was subsequently found that they had lost some guns, much equipage and stores, and that, under command of Koer Singh, they were in full flight towards the Ganges. When, as already mentioned, the rebels from their position in the i8s8] The Azimgkur Field Force 137 jungle opened fire upon the loth, the demeanour of our men, hardened as they were by long service in India, and accustomed to the work ot war, was such as vividly to illustrate the advantages of having old soldiers under such circumstances. Although taken by surprise, our men wavered not ; with equanimity our Colonel,^ as he turned towards them, said, " Steady, men, steady." There was a sharp fire of musketry into the brushwood, instantly followed by a charge with the bayonet ; native voices were heard as the sepoys recognised the sol- diers they had to deal with, calling to their comrades, " Bhago, bhago bhai, dus pultan ayfl!"(Run, brothers, run j the loth have come). A minute more, and those who escaped bayonet thrusts by our men were in rapid flight. Resulting from the day's encounter a considerable number of dead had to be interred, and wounded attended to. For the latter accommo- dation had to be procured, as well as for our sick, whose numbers had been rendered considerable by the great fatigue and exposure under- gone during our recent long and arduous marches. As a guard to those so provided for, as well as to hold the city now in our power against further attack, and leave our force unencumbered for further action, the 34th was detailed to fulfil both duties. A column under command of Brigadier Douglas started in pursuit of the body of rebels directly under Koer Singh. They having made a stand against Douglas as soon as the first panic of defeat had some- what subsided, the pursuing column was on 17 th reinforced by additional artillery, cavalry, and part of the 84th. Within a few hours thereafter the sound of active firing told us what was taking place ; then the arrival of wounded men declared that serious work was being done. In due time we learned that the rebels had been defeated, a hundred of their number killed, and one of their guris captured. Among the wounded so brought in was Mr. Venables, an indigo planter, a typical representative of the rough, ready, and energetic men who collectively become the makers of Greater Britain. Mr. Venables had, by his own force of character, prevented open revolt in the district of Azimghur after the 17th N.I. had mutinied, and, by means of levies raised and commanded by himself, repelled an attack by the latter ; sub- sequently on various occasions he was in actual conflict against the rebels. Gangrene of the wounded shoulder took place, and within a very short time his death occurred, much to the sorrow and regret of those of us with whom he had been associated. After his death it was discovered that he wore upon his bosom the wedding ring of his deceased wife. * William Fenwick, than whom a more upright man could not be named. 138 Thirty -nme Years in the Army isss She had died at Azimghur, and now his body was laid in a grave close to the remains of her for whom his affection was manifest in tangible form. On the 23rd General Lugard learned that notwithstanding their recent defeat the rebels under Koer Singh were advancing, as if to threaten Ghazepore. At 9 p.m. our force was in motion towards them. The night march was long and trying ; for some hours our way was enlivened by the clear moonlight, but the air was hot and sultry. Occasional halts were necessary to enable the men to rest for a little, and refresh themselves with draughts of water. Arrived at Mohumdee next morning, several hours elapsed before camp equipage arrived and tents were pitched, for as on various previous occasions .our men outmarched their transport train. There news reached camp that Koer Singh had so far succeeded that nearly all the men commanded by him had got across the Ganges ; but that Douglas, having arrived and opened fire upon them from the left bank, their chief had been severely wounded,^ and of themselves many put hors de combat. Later in the day the painful news circulated in camp that a small force, composed of men of 3Sth, the Naval Brigade, and some Sikhs, sent from Arrah to intercept the rebels then in rapid flight from the Ganges to Jugdispore, had met with disaster at their hands. The force referred to was that under the command of Captain Le Grand, 35th Regiment. Two successive marches during the hottest period of each day, and we were at Ghazepore. Officers and men, forced by reason of seasonal temperature to dispense with outer uniform, wore only khakee trousers and woollen shirts, the sleeves turned up for sake of comfort. Thus equipped, dusty, and grimy, our aspect presented a sorry contrast to the neat and in some instances elegant turn-out of men and women who rode out from cantonments to see our force march into camp. , Resuming the march next morning, the occurrence of a rain storm drenched us, but even that was an agreeable relief in the great heat and dust heretofore prevailing. No halt took place, but throughout that day and following night our wearied men continued what was indeed their forced march. By daylight on May 2 we arrived at Synhee Ghat. There, by means of steamers ready for the purpose, the work of crossing the Ganges rapidly proceeded, and by 9 a.m. we were in the Arrah district. We were now reunited to the column which under Douglas had been recently sent on from Azimghur, it having succeeded ' Of that wound Koer Singh soon thereafter died. The command of his forces then fell to Umeer Singh. ^^58] The Azimghur Field Force 139 in preventing Koer Singh's men from falling upon Arrah after inflicting on a small body of our troops the disaster already mentioned. Not until the 4th were all our stores and equipment transferred to the right side of the river, and our force in readiness for further work. The following morning our camp was pitched at Arrah,* and thus an opportunity afforded us to visit places in and around that station with •> which some recent painful events were associated. A building occupied a few months past by a civil servant now presented the appearance of a star-shaped fort from the embrasures of -which the muzzles of guns projected ; masses of ruins told where other bungalows had been. There stood the small fortified house, its walls loopholed and battered by rebel bullets, a memorial of the gallant defence made by Herwald Wake and his few comrades until relieved by Major Eyre. At a little distance eastward from the city is the scene of the great disaster ot July 30, already alluded to more than once ; the road by which our men had marched, bordered on either side by isolated houses, at one spot by a clump of " toddy " palms, at another by a tope of mango trees ; there the Hindoo temples at which, it was said, certain of our men on that occasion were offered as sacrifices to Kali ; there the trees on which others were hung, though, as expressed by those on the spot> the events referred to are as far as possible " hushed up." Information reached General Lugard that the rebels in considerable force had taken up a position at Jugdispore. He resolved to march upon and attack them without unnecessary delay. /All extra establish- ment and equipment was left to be retained in store ; sick and men otherwise non-effective eliminated; commissariat and transport suited for service on which we were about to enter, alone set apart for the purpose ; mobility and efficiency the two qualities held in view. In the lightest possible marching order our advance began on May 27. While it-.was yet dark, thirteen miles of road were got over ; two more after daybreak, we then arrived at our intended camping ground ; our only incident the capture of a spy,^ in the act of counting the numbers and noting the composition of our column. The rebels had determined to oppose us en route. For that purpose they took up a position in a tract of jungle through which the road extended near Beheea ; there our artillery opened fire upon them, and thence they were quickly expelled. The aspect of the sky portended a dust storm ; it was now upon us with all the usual violence of such meteors, the air so laden with dust that for a time all was dark. Then came a deluge of rain, soaking us ' Here we received Government General Orders relating to tlie late Jounpore Field Force, my name in the list of those ' ' mentioned. " " Captured by myself and duly handed over. 140 Thirty-nine Years \in the Army [isss completely, converting the hitherto parched ground into a swamp, but reducing the temperature from 100° to 85°. As the sky became clear, a strong body of rebels were observed advancing towards us. At once a party was dispatched against them ; brisk fire by the artillery, then our cavalry dashed in among them; they broke up and soon dis- appeared in the jungle. All through next night the camp was on the alert ; pickets patrolled in all directions. In early morning of the 9th our advance was resumed. During the march parties of rebels hovered on either flank, but at a safe distance from our column. As we neared the town of Jugdispore the enemy advanced upon us from front and flanks. When they came within striking distance, our column, already prepared for such an emergency, took the initiative ; our men, to use their own expression, " went at them with a will." Before sunset that town, together with the palace of Koer Singh, were in our possession. The loth was a day of comparative quiet ; men had to rest after their arduous work ; those prostrated by heat and fatigue be attended to, information obtained/egarding movements of the fugitive enemy, and arrangements made for further action against them. While our force was thus enjoying comparative quiet, news reached our commander that the rebels had taken up a position at Chitowrah, situated deep in a dense jungle, some seven miles distant from our present camp; that a column comprising the 6th Regiment was in a position near Peroo to co-operate with us ; that the column under Sir Hugh Rose was steadily closing around Jhansi ; and that in Rohilcund our troops had obtained several important successes. In the forenoon of the nth a sufficient guard for its protection being left in camp, a strong body ^ of our force marched to attack the rebel position at Chitowrah. It had not proceeded more than three miles when an earthwork across the road for a short time interrupted pro- gress; that obstacle overcome, a heavy fire from the dense jungle on our flanks and front opened upon us. As a reply our artillery opened with grape, after which skirmishers dashed into the thick forest, with the result that they carried all before them ; but pursuit was impossible by reason of its density. The heat of the day, great as it was in the open ground, was over- powering while we traversed the forest already mentioned. It was fortunate for all of us that this contingency had been foreseen and provided for by General Lugard; skins full of water, carried by elephants, camels, and bullocks, forming part of our equipment on the ' Comprising loth Foot, Military Train Madras Artillery, Madras Rifles. ^^ss] The Asimgkzir Field Force 141 occasion. At short intervals of time and distance, soldiers and officers indiscriminately placed themselves under the open mouths of those skins, had their heads and clothing drenched ; then continuing their march until the hot wind effected complete evaporation, they again and again underwent a similar ordeal. Nevertheless, many staggered, some fell from heat and exhaustion, others gasped for breath. Considerable numbers had to be brought along in doolies ; among those so prostrated was Colonel Fenwick.^ Exhausted as we were, it was fortunate for us that our enemies were wanting in resolution to take advantage of our condition. Wearied and fatigued as were men and officers, little in the way of food was needed. Tea — that ever-agreeable beverage under such circumstances — was about the only thing obtainable at the time. Rest was out of the question during the night. Impressions of the day's work, repeated pings of musketry from the adjoining jungle, the thud ot bullets on the ruined walls among which we lay, the occasional arrival of wounded men, — all combined to banish sleep ; while to those engaged in looking after sick and wounded, whose numbers had become consider- able, their work left them worn out and exhausted. Daylight of the 12th revealed to us the scene of action. In jungle recesses mangled corpses; in the ruins, now utilised as "barracks" for effectives, and hospital for those struck down, whether by wounds or sickness, heavy moans of the suffering were intermingled with coarse jests of their more fortunate comrades. The unpleasant fact transpired that our commissariat supplies had fallen into the hands of the rebels, while the force was engaged against them in the jungle as already mentioned. Breakfast for men and officers became a meal more nominal than real ; orders were issued for the march to be resumed southward, so that our force might the more effectively co-operate with another making its way from that direction. Early in the afternoon our force was on its march towards Peroo, with a view to effect that junction. As we advanced, the forest became less- and less dense ; emerging therefrom into open country, the burnt remains of huts and villages were passed. Some stray shots reached us from small concealed bodies of the enemy, but these were quickly silenced by parties of our men detached for that purpose. Without opposition in more serious form we arrived, while it was still daylight, at a mango tope, in which we bivouacked for the night, all necessary precautions being first taken against surprise. During that night a ' An honourable man, considerate and straightforward in official as in private relations, he had effected much during the time he held command to restore to their normal state things already alluded to. 142 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1858 thunderstorm burst over us; this was followed by heavy downpour of rain, which soaked us to a degree that made sorry objects of us, situated as we then were, and at the same time reduced the ground that formed our beds to the condition of a marsh. A raid was made upon cattle and rice, both of which were found among some ruined huts ; the former were shot, and with the latter cooked, thus meal thus provided being savoury or otherwise according to whether individuals had or had not in their haversacks a small reserve of salt. At dawn next morning a strong party was detached to bring in supplies sent on to us from camp.' It was not long before that escort was engaged with the rebels by whom it was attacked en route, and having defeated them, proceeded to obtain the needed supplies, with which in due time it returned to us. As a part of that escort were some young soldiers of the 6th Foot, recently arrived from the Cape of Good Hope. On their arrival back from that duty they were in so exhausted a condition that when time arrived to break up our bivouac they had to be removed by means of bullock-carts, elephants, and gun-carriages ; the older soldiers of the same party, though much exhausted, were able to resume the march with their respective companies. In the great heat now prevailing, the distance of nineteen miles that separated us from our standing camp was got over by ten o'clock that day; many so exhausted that, unable to keep up with the column, they followed as best they could, arriving as so many stragglers, but fortunately for them, unmolested and undiscovered by the rebels. During the absence of our column, our camp, left under protection of the 84th, was threatened by the rebels, who, however, were easily beaten off. An attempt, made by men engaged for the purpose, to burn down the jungle — work in which had already cost us the lives of many men — was but partially successful. While at one point this was in progress, from another came indications of attack by a considerable body of well- armed rebels. The loth were quickly in movement towards them, a few of their bullets telling among our ranks. Soon, however, the enemy disappeared in the dense forest, our men returning to the comparative quiet and " comfort " of their tents. Short was the rest enjoyed by them. On the third day an attack from our side was directed upon two villages occupied by the rebels in our near vicinity. Similar attacks on other villages succeeded each other ; a convoy with supplies from our base at Arrah arrived ; attempts on a larger scale than heretofore to burn down the forest were made, but unsuccessfully ; and so, with the hot season upon us, did all con- cerned try their best to carry out the general work we had to do. i8s8] The Azimghur Field Force 143 Sopne idea of the physical condition of our troops may best be gathered from the particulars now to be given. Soon after the middle of May fevers and bowel disorders had become very prevalent among them ; in other ways they suffered severely from the prevailing heat and fatigue. As to myself, according to my diary, " from the time I became attacked at Azimghur, I have found it impossible to throw off my illness, and now am exhausted and debilitated to a great degree by the continued heat. Were it not my duty to hold out for the benefit of my wife and children, I would certainly apply for sick leave." By that time, although our force had been only ten days in the field and jungle near Jugdispore, the number of non-effectives was so great as to seriously impair its efficiency and mobility ; as many of these as could be so disposed of were accordingly sent under strong cavalry escort to Arrah. Cases of sunstroke were of occasional occurrence, though far less so than we had expected. Our transport suffered scarcely, if at all, in a less degree than our men, thus still further adding to the daily increas- ing difficulties under which we were expected to act as an efficient force. Another phase of our difficulties arose from the want of vegetables as part of our food. From the day when we first took the field supplies in this respect have been absent, the result being that men and officers are more or less suffering from land scurvy. On the 20th our force made an attack on the village of Dhuleeppore, recently destroyed, but in the ruins of which a body of rebels had assembled. The result of that attack was discomfiture to them, though, unhappily, unusually heavy loss to the assailants. Then followed a few days of comparative rest to our men ; but mean- while the rebels re-occupied the position from which so recently they had been driven. Arrangements were accordingly made for a renewed attack on that place. At daylight on the 20th our force was in motion : one portion by a road just within the skirt of jungle, a second along the plain on which the affair of a few days before took place. As they drew close upon the rebel position, fire was opened from two howitzers captured on the occasion of the disaster to the party under Captain Le Grand already mentioned. Three rounds were fired before the loth and 84th were able " to get at " the rebels. Once among them, the guns were quickly recaptured, many of the gunners killed, the rebels in flight. Our men returned to their tents. Our camp ground had become so offensive, and otherwise objection- able, that, leaving for a time a body of our force sufficiently strong to hold its own in case of emergency, the larger portion, under orders by General LUgard, proceeded to take up a fresh position. The move 144 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss involved a march of four miles and upwards. While en route we traversed the scene of Le Grand's disaster. Isolated bones, some partly gnawed, lay scattered about; fragments of utensils of sorts strewed the surface, — sad relics, in their several ways, of the episode referred to. A halt was made ; the fragments of what had been gallant men carefully collected and most reverently interred. We then resumed our way. The numbers of sick and wounded had now exceeded the capacity of our transport ; it became a matter of necessity to get rid of them, so that the force might be left ready prepared for further action. Being provided with a strong cavalry escort, I started with a full convoy of such non-effectives. We traversed a piece of country directly in front of the rebels, halting under the shelter of a mango tope during the hottest hours of daylight ; resumed the journey at nightfall, and reached Arrah before daybreak. There the sick and wounded were disposed of in hospital ; our return journey quickly resumed, and without adventure we were again with our force in time for further work. A few days prior to the date now reached, a messenger had been sent with dispatches from General Lugard to the officer in command of a column co-operating with his own. The man presented a sorry plight as he returned to camp ; his nose cut off, his right hand severed at the wrist, his face and other parts of his person besmeared with blood, himself faint, bewildered, and dazed. After a time he related the story of his capture. He had reached his destination without mis- hap, had delivered the dispatches of which he was bearer, received those in reply, and started on his return journey with them. While passing through a rebel village on his way he was arrested, his papers taken from him, he himself ordered for execution, as traitor and spy. On the plea that in the state of mutilation inflicted upon him his appear- ance would be more deterrent among possible waverers in the rebel cause than would be the fact of his being put to death, the extreme penalty was commuted. A body of rebels having destroyed an indigo factory and taken up a position at Kishwa, our force started at 3 a.m. on the 2nd of June towards that point. As we approached it, a heavy though happily ineffectual fire was opened against our ranks. The loth marched steadily onwards. The rebels did not long remain to permit our men to close with them ; pell-mell they fled, the Madras guns sending several charges of grape-shot after them, the cavalry then taking up the pur- suit. We afterwards bivouacked in the open. Driven thence, the rebels returned to their former position at Chitowrah. By daylight on the 4th of June our force advanced upon them in two separate columns : the one along the narrow jungle road 1858] The Azimghur Field Force 145 already mentioned ; the other, under the command of Brigadier Douglas, by the southern border of the same jungle. As we neared the densest part of forest, in the heart of which lay that hunting seat of Koer Singh, we suddenly found ourselves exposed in a semi-circle of fire in front and both our flanks ; fortunately without much damage to our numbers. There was a momentary halt, then a cheer, and into , the forest dashed the loth, trusting to their bayonets rather than their rifle fire. The rebels fled, at first through and from the thicket whence their attack had been made, our men following close upon them ; next, through ruins of houses and enclosures ; through a cactus hedge, across an open plain, our soldiers gaining upon them in the race, the result being a loss to our enemies of ninety-four, fallen by bayonet thrust of our regiment alone. Wearied and exhausted, a short rest had to be allowed to men and officers. In our return journey towards camp we again traversed the ground over which the running fight described had taken place ; the rebels killed in the early part of the day were represented by so many masses of skeletons, blood covered, some few shreds of flesh still adhering, thus telling what had been the work done in the interval by jackals, dogs, and vultures. The immediate result of the rebel defeat at Chitowrah was that their force divided itself into small parties, each of which seemed to proceed on its own initiative, some as marauders, others with the apparent object of making for Buxar, and thence across the Ganges. With a view to act against the latter, a portion of our force, reduced as it now was by casualties and sickness, was placed under command of Brigadier Douglas, and proceeded on the duty assigned to it. To the regret of all associated with him. General Lugard completely broke down in health ; several of the ofiicers were ill or had been in- valided ; the numbers of our soldiers who had become non-effective was very large. • Under the circumstances in which we were thus placed, the fact became evident that unless it was intended by the responsible authorities that our force should be permitted to melt away and so cease to exist, a speedy return to cantonments was necessary to preserve that portion which still existed of its component elements. Great, therefore, was the relief with which, in obedience to orders to return to cantonments, we marched away from Jugdispore on June 15. Our first day's march was no more than six miles long. Our men, however, had no longer the stimulus of expected fight to brace them up ; many fell out en route, to come in as stragglers during the day. Continuing our journey, we once again passed through Arrah, then crossed th&Soane, marching into quarters at Dinapore on the 19th of L 146 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss that month. The Azimghur Field Force had done the work assigned to it, and now ceased to exist as such. The arrival of General Orders,^ in which were contained the official dispatches relating to work performed by the force of which we had so recently formed a part, became naturally enough an event of import- ance to most of us, gratification to some, disappointment to others. Much praise was accorded to the loth Regiment, as a whole, for arduous work efficiently done, and special reference made to individual officers whose services were " mentioned " in those dispatches. Paragraph 19 of the Orders in question gave the report by Sir Edward Lugard thus : " I beg most especially to recommend to His Excellency's notice [myself], Surgeon of the loth Foot and Senior Medical Officer in charge of this force ; his exertions have been untiring ; though at times suffering from sickness, he never quitted his post, but continued his valuable superintendence. I feel more indebted to him than I can express." With reference to which the entry made in my diary at the time was : " I am thankful to God for having enabled me to fufil my duties satisfactorily, and, for the sake of my dear wife and children, hope advancement may speedily follow so handsome an acknowledgment of services performed." A few days afterwards we had the further gratification of reading " Orders " awarding to each of us six months' batta. Government General Oders, dated Allahabad, June 16, 1858. -59] Dinapore 147 CHAPTER XVII > 1858-1859. DINAPOEE. PLYMOUTH Record of events — Various — Proclamation — Parliamentary debates — Sikhs — Ghoorka " allies " — Rainy season — Last of H.E.I. C. — Rebel forces — Native comments — Warrant for A.M.D. — Subjects of talk — The drama ended — Personal chagrin — Farewell service — March away — Parisnath — Raneegunge — Embark and sail — Order by Government — On board ship — England. A PERIOD of rest in cantonments had become a matter of necessity to restore physical efficiency to our regiment, worn out as men and officers were by service in the field. The ordinary duties incidental to barrack existence in India were performed by all, our spare time devoted to current records of events announced from day to day by the newspapers. A few examples now follow. No sooner had our force departed from Jugdispore than the rebels returned to their former positions in the extensive jungle by which that place is surrounded. Among the proceedings takirig place elsewhere was the defeat, by Sir Hope Grant, of a strong rebel force at Nawab- gunge. In the vicinity of Shahjehanpore, the Moulvie already men- tion was killed by the troops of a Rajah^ who had risen against his authority. Gwalior had been re-captured ; the Ranee of Jhansi killed while leading her troops at that place against the Central India Force. Reports of disaffection in certain Bombay regiments. In our own near neighbourhood, a threatened outbreak by the prisoners in Patna gaol led to the dispatch thither of two companies of the loth. The rebels had collected in a body of considerable strength at Chuprah, from which position they were committing depredations on trading boats on the Ganges ; a portion of the 3Sth was accordingly dispatched against them. Another party of rebels threatening BuUiah, a detachment of the loth proceeded by steamer towards that place. Various lines ' Namely, Juggemath Singh, Rajah of Powayne, a man who, in the early days of the mutiny, had acted in a very unfeeling manner towards such fugitives as fell into his hands. 148 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss of communication were kept open by parties of troops placed at suitable points along them. The position at Arrah was so strengthened as to be secure against attack. The arrival of a small kind of gunboat intended for use on rivers was in its way important, as indicating the introduction of a new means of attack. At this time the issue of certain Proclamations by Government seemed to attract much attention among the rebels still in the field ; the tenor of the one an invitation to them to lay down their arms, the other in effect confiscating the property of landowners in Oude, with a few exceptions. " It is all very well," said they, " to invite us to come in, lay down our arms, and accept forgiveness ; but why make the offer if you have the power to subdue us ? " " Hitherto, if we com- mitted murder, robbery, or burnt houses, we were hanged, imprisoned, or put on the roads for life ; now we have done all these things, and we are invited to accept forgiveness. Truly this is a great raj ; may it live for ever ! . . ." Adverting to the first of those Proclamations, Lord Canning had expressed himself: "It is impossible that the justice, charity, and kindliness, as well as the true wisdom which mark these words, should not be appreciated." That is the way they were so. The second was at once called " the Confiscation Proclamation " ; its almost immediate effect, an outbreak of hostility among chiefs who were otherwise more or less ready to remain passive if not actually favourable to existing law. At a subsequent date it was cancelled. The debates in Parliament on these dispatches and many other comments on them were daily perused with great interest, not only by ourselves, but, as we learnt, by the rebels still in arms, the several views expressed by them somehow reaching cantonments. The publication of orders, in which it was considered that services performed by the Sikhs were referred to in exaggerated terms as com- pared with the purely British, produced for the time being one effect to which allusion may here be made. "Why," said a very intelligent officer of that nationality, who was well known to most of us in can- tonments, " you admit yourselves that we saved India for you ; if we can do that for you foreigners, why should we not take the country for ourselves?" At the very time he spoke there were 82,000 Sikh troops in British employ. It was therefore not altogether subject of surprise to learn, as we did, that a mutinous plot had been discovered in the loth Sikh Infantry at the distant station of Dhera Ishmail Khan. Nor were matters satisfactory on the part of the Ghoorkhas, recently our "allies." The circumstance transpired that correspondence had been discovered between some of the higher authorities of Nepaul and -S9] Dinapore 1 49 the Royal family of Oude ; that Jung Bahadur had expressed himself dissatisfied with degree of acknowledgment awarded by the Indian Government for services rendered by himself and by his troops. With the advance of the rainy season sickness and death made sad havoc among our ranks. Meanwhile a state of unrest among the general population became more and more apparent, fanned as it was by reports circulated among them that large reinforcements from England would speedily arrive. Nor was that unrest confined to the non-military sections ; some of the remaining sepoys believed to be " staunch " were said to have been detected in treasonable correspon- dence with their brethren in open rebellion ; that representatives of mutineers had taken service in the ranks of the police force. The ist of November, 1858, began an era memorable in the history of India. On that day was read at every military station throughout the country the Proclamation by the Queen, declaring the transfer- ence to Her Majesty of the governing power hitherto exercised by the Honourable East India Company, the loth Regiment and other troops occupying our present station being paraded at the civil station of Bankipore to impart additional splendour to an otherwise imposing ceremony. The Proclamation was read by the Commissioner of the district, an immense concourse of natives being present on the occasion. With reference to the portions of that Proclamation in which, under certain specified conditions, pardon and amnesty are offered to rebels, the Punjabee newspaper of October 30 publishes a return of the army still opposed to us in Oude alone, comprising, according to figures there given, 79 chiefs, with an aggregate of 271 guns, 11,660 cavalry, 242,100 infantry, or 253,760 men in all; an imposing force indeed, considering that the suppression of the outbreak is declared to have been accomplished. From the rebels still in the field, various comments on the terms so offered reached our cantonments. They considered that for crimes committed the sepoys deserved punishment by death, nor could they understand the exemption to that penalty now expressed. "As an earthquake " — according to their " prophets " — " has three waves, so will there be three shocks to British power in India : one we have just had ; a second will occur a few years hence; the last after a longer interval, when the British position in India will vanish." The arrival of papers with a new warrant ^ for the Medical Depart- ment of the Army naturally enough was of considerable interest to ' Of October i, 1858. 150 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1858 those of us who belonged to that branch of the military service. As expressed in my diary at the time : " Most liberal it is, wiping away at one swoop the grievances under which the Department has laboured, and making it, as it ought to be, one of the best, if not the very best, in the Army." The great importance of the duties pertaining to that department in relation to individual needs and general military effici- ency of a force was then prominently in my view from actual experience. Shortly after the Proclamation by Her Majesty was read, a counter document of similar nature was issued by the Begum of Lucknow ; but the latter produced little if any effect upon the rebels or their chiefs, numbers of both " coming in " one after another to make their submission. An attempt was made by a leading journal ^ to ascertain the number of persons who, being convicted of crimes against the State, had suffered the penalty of death. They were, according to that paper, as follows, from the outbreak of the Mutiny, namely : — By military tribunal, executed by hanging, 86 ; by civil tribunal, 300 ; the number shot by musketry, 628; blown from guns, 1,370; making a total of 2,384. The deposed King of Delhi recently passed our station by steamer, en route to Calcutta, and finally to Rangoon, there to spend the remaining portion of his life. The event gave rise to comment in respect to the action of the old king against the Indian Govern- ment, including his correspondence with the Shah of Persia in 1856 ; his reputed sanction of atrocities at Delhi in May, '57 \ his correspondence with Lucknow, etc. Another subject of talk was the reported escape of the Nana, the truth of which was soon thereafter confirmed. Lastly, the publication of correspondence between Colonel Edwards, Sir John Lawrence, and the Viceroy,^ in respect to that portion of the Proclamation which related to native customs, religious and otherwise, afforded ample subject to discuss in our social coteries. In the early days of 1859 came the welcome orders that all detached parties of the loth should rejoin Headquarters, for the purpose of volunteering preparatory to the departure of the regiment for England. Other orders directed various reductions to be made in military estab- lishments now in India ; among them the withdrawal of several time- expired regiments, and the return to their respective ships of the Naval Brigades temporarily employed ; that regiments still in the field should proceed to quarters ; brigadiers commanding columns cease to hold appointments as such — thus declaring in effect that the campaign ' Friend of India, December 2, 1858. 2 Afterwards noticed in Chambers' History o^ihe Revolt, page 607. -S9] Dinapore 151 connected with the great Mutiny was ended. But the facts were well known that bodies of rebels and mutineers were in the field, special forces actually employed against them ; that bodies of disaffected had taken refuge in -Nepaul. These and various other incidents were looked upon as so many supplements to the great drama at the end of which official orders declared that we had arrived. Now there occurred an event the outcome of which to several men who, like myself, had held distinct charges of troops on active service, was much chagrin and disappointment ; namely, our supersession in promotion by four officers, personally good, but who, though in the Crimea, had neither there nor elsewhere held equivalent positions. Some little time thereafter there appeared in a service journal ^ a leading article "On the partiality and injustice to the Department exhibited in the late promotions." This was the first outcome of a warrant regarding which first impressions were as already recorded. At last came orders for the loth to prepare for an early march towards the port of embarkation for England, and that meantime volunteering should be open to soldiers desiring to prolong their service in India. All such orders were obeyed with the greatest possible alacrity. The usual formalities on similar occasions being attended to, 141 of our men availed themselves of the option thus given them, and so ceased to belong to the corps in which they had performed much excellent work under very trying circumstances. On an in- tervening Sunday a farewell sermon ^ was preached to the regiment in our garrison church, and as I noted at the time, " strange as it seems, some of the soldiers were visibly affected thereby"; but as I have had numerous opportunities of seeing, soldiers of the period now referred to, notwithstanding the undoubted roughness of the great majority, had in their numbers many men keenly sensitive to the finer impulses of our common human nature. Before daylight on February 10, our regiment began its march, " played out " of Dinapore by the band of the 19th Foot. Eight days thereafter we encamped in near vicinity of Gyah, a place sacred to Buddhists, and interesting in other ways. Two days more and we were on the Grand Trunk Road. Soon at the hot wells of Burkutta, the water of which, clear and having a slight odour of sulphur, is said to have many medicinal virtues. In observing the necessary custom on a march, of halting on the seventh day, an opportunity was afforded those of us interested in such ' Naval and Military Gazelle, J a.raiary 8, 1859. ^ Colossians iii. 15: " And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body ; and be ye thankful." 152 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss matters, to ascend the hill of Parisnath. Occupying the eastern table- land of the Vindyha range, itself 4,449 feet in height, like Mount Aboo on the west of the same range, its summit is covered with small Jain temples. Its sides are clothed with dense forests of sal ( Vateria indicd). In the course of our march, several trains of camels or kafilats, with their Cabulee drivers, were met, as they were on their return journey from Calcutta to Affghanistan. In accordance with the custom of the time, they had begun their journey from Cabul eight months previous, and hoped to return at the end of four more, thus completing it in one year. These kafilats brought with them for sale in India, and Calcutta more especially, fruit of different kinds, spices, skins, asafcetida, and salep ; ^ with the proceeds of the sale of which they purchased and carried back with them bales of cotton goods, and others of European manufacture. These caravans, including camels, drivers, and " followers," presented a picturesque and patriarchal scene, as in long lines they seemed to glide along the road. Arrived at Raneegunge, our camp was pitched for the last time. There a delay of several days took place, while arrange- ments were in progress for embarkation ; hurried journeys by rail to and from Calcutta being made by those of us whose duty it was to carry those arrangements into effect. A series of coal-mines situated not far from our camp were being worked ; but the industry was, com- paratively speaking, in its infancy. In the early morning of St. Patrick's Day, the regiment, stepping out cheerfully to the familiar music appropriate to the occasion, and dear to Irish soldiers, marched away from camp to railway station ; thence proceeded by train to Howrah, then by river steamer to the ship King Philip, and so embarked. On the second day thereafter our ship, taken in tow by a river tug, began her homeward voyage. As we glided past Fort William, a Royal salute, fired from its ramparts, was a gratifying compliment paid by order of Government to the departing regiment for services performed by it during a most eventful episode in India's history. Wearied and worn out as our men were as a result of those services, no cheer was raised in response to the unusual compli- ment being paid to them. The order by Government so alluded to was in these terms : — " The Calcutta Gazette Extraordinary, Friday, March 18, 1859. No. 360 of 1859. Notification. Fort William, MiUtary Department. The 18th March, 1859. — Her Majesty's loth Regiment of Foot is about to em- bark for England. His Excellency the Governor-General cannot allow * Root of Orchis mascula. -59] Plymouth 153 this regiment to pass through Calcutta without thanking the officers and men for all the good service which they have rendered in the last two eventful years : first, in the outbreaks at Benares and Dinapore ; next, as a part of the Column under their former Commander, Brigadier- General Franks ; and more lately in the harassing operations conducted by Brigadier-General Sir E. Lugard and Brigadier Douglas on either bank of the Ganges. The Governor-General in Council desires, in taking leave of the loth Regiment, to place on record his cordial appreciation of their valuable services. The regiment will be saluted by the guns of Fort William on leaving Calcutta. By order of his Excellency the Viceroy and Governor-General of India in Council. — R. J. H. Birch, Major-General, Secretary to the Government of India." [Subsequently the officers of the loth, including myself, received among us nine promotions and honorary distinctions for the services above alluded to.] During the homeward voyage several deaths occurred among our men, exhausted as so many of them were by fatigue and exposure on service. Perhaps it was that the incidents of that service had to some extent affected the feelings heretofore so often manifested by soldiers in presence of death among their comrades ; at any rate, it became a source of regret to some of our numbers to observe now the indiffer- ence shown on such occasions ; indeed, scarcely was the solemnity of committing a body to the deep finished than games, songs, music, or dancing were resumed by parties of the men. The long rest afforded by the voyage did much to restore health to men and officers, and in other ways was beneficial to us all. As we neared England a pilot boarded our ship. He had with him a bundle of papers, from which we learned, among other matters, of the occurrence of war in the Quadrilateral, full details being given of the great battles of Magenta and Solferino. In the accounts contained in the same papers of the state of public affairs preceding that campaign, a probable explanation was afforded of the suddenness with which active measures against the mutineers had ceased, and considerable forces withdrawn from India. At Gravesend, on July 13, the regi- ment transhipped to the Himalayah, and so was conveyed to Plymouth, there to be quartered in the Citadel. A few days thereafter,^ I had the happiness of being with my beloved wife and children, grateful in spirit to Providence that life was preserved through the arduous ordeal now relegated to the past. » July '24. 154 Thirty-nine Years irt the Army [1859 CHAPTER XVIII 1859-I86O. PLYMOUTH. DEVONPORT First incident — Our men— Disaster at Talcu — Wrecks — A launch — Phrenology — Aspect of affairs — Warships to China — Militia and Volunteers — Improved con- ditions — Regimental schools — Female hospital — Windsor — Most Honourable Order of the Bath — Preparations — Mines — Cheesewring — Affairs — Decade — Mutiny medals. SOON after our arrival I became the possessor of a horse and carriage, both purchased from "a friend." With pleasant antici- pations I started on our first drive, accompanied by my wife and her lady friend. We had not proceeded far along the country road before the animal bolted clean away ; after wildly rushing for some consider- able distance, the carriage came in contact with the embankment, was upset and broken to pieces, the two ladies severely injured. The accident happened at the entrance to a country house ; the ladies were admitted thereto for a little, a glass of wine given to each ; they were driven home, after which no inquiry was made regarding them. This first experience of "hospitality" impressed us at the time, and now is noted as in its way characteristic. We had not been "intro- duced " to the family. Unfortunately it so happened that among the men of the loth there were some who used not wisely the balance of " batta " still remaining unspent by them. The result was that they brought obloquy upon themselves, and to some extent upon their more steady and well-be- haved comrades who were altogether undeserving of it. So it happens on other occasions ; the actual number of men in a regiment who com- mit crimes may be small, though their offences may be statistically considerable.^ In September attention was painfully drawn to the unfortunate failure at Taku of the war vessels conveying the British and French ambassa- dors to the Peiho en route to Pekin, that failure involving the loss of ' The loth Regiment was composed of the following, according to religious de- nomination ; namely, Episcopalians, 29 officers and 236 men ; Presbyterians, 8 and 28 ; Roman Catholics, 5 and 301. It may be taken as an example of an "English" regiment. -6o] Plymotith 155 three gunboats and 464 men belonging to them. From that moment it became evident that troops and ships must prepare for service in the Far East, and although, as the loth had so recently landed, it was un- likely that the regiment would as a whole be concerned, it was probable tha,t some individual officers might be so ; several of us accordingly took an opportunity of making ourselves acquainted with the current of events in China from the date of the Arrow affair in October, 1856, to that of the Taku incident alluded to. Following close upon the news of that disaster came the wreck of the Royal Charter, involving the loss of 470 lives, near Bangor, during one of those autumn storms so frequent on English coasts. Public- sympathy was much aroused by these events, quickly following each other as they did. Unhappily the last named was not at the time- isolated of its kind, though in its details not exceeded in painful accom- paniments by any. A new war vessel — the Narcissus frigate of fifty guns — being to be launched, the ceremony proved not only interesting but impressive, in respect to sentiments it evolved. An immense assembly met by invita- tion in Devonport Dockyard to witness the event ; as the hour of four struck, the beautiful ship glided amidst a round of cheers into what thenceforward was to be her proper element ; her career in the future in that respect like the career of the new-born infant — uncertain, beset by risks. Very different in character was another " function '' at which I " assisted " ; namely, a lecture with demonstrations on phrenology, the- " correctness " of that " science " being illustrated by the lecturer by references to the characteristics of the Hindoo in respect to mildness,, gentleness, and tractability. To those of us recently returned from scenes already described, his remarks and demonstrations seemed outcomes of misapplied knowledge. Yet, such as they were, they "went down" with the enlightened British public, as represented by- that particular audience. Various circumstances, domestic and foreign, combined to render regimental life one of uncertainty, at the particular time now referred to. In India more than one column of our forces were actively engaged against the rebels who declined the terms of the gracious. Proclamation already mentioned. The recently enlisted men for so- called " European " regiments of the late East India Company had. combined in what was called " The White Mutiny " ; they were shipped to England, there to be discharged the service.^ Dis- ^ Of their number a few enlisted into the loth, and soon attempted to disseminate- their particular doctrines. But Barrack-room Courts-Martial and sharp punishments. 156 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1859 affection had appeared in two native cavalry regiments stationed at Hyderabad.^ With regard to Europe, the condition of affairs in and relating to Italy was disturbed and uncertain. In France, the effusions of certain Colonels, added to other indications hostile to England, seemed to have an unpleasant significance, more especially that in which an appeal was made to the Emperor " to give the word, and the infamous haunt in which machinations so infernal are planned" — namely, London — " should be destroyed for ever." A strong fleet of combined EngUsh and French warships proceeded to China. Extensive stores and supplies of all kinds were shipped for that destination, magazine^ were replenished; appearances indi- cated that important operations were in the near future. Uncertainty and speculation regarding probable events pervaded all ranks pertain- ing to regiments now available for emergent service ; all held them- selves prepared accordingly. Various Militia regiments, embodied during the Crimean War, still occupied barracks throughout England ; at Devonport and Plymouth the Warwickshire and Dublin Regiments, together with the Forfar Militia Artillery, being quartered. Second battalions were in progress of being added to the twenty-five first of the line. Now also, for the first time since the Revolutionary War, regiments of Volunteers were being rapidly formed. So important was the occasion considered to be that special invitations were issued to witness in the Town Hall the first parade of the Volunteers belonging to what were called " The Three Towns," and to inaugurate the formation of the regiment so con- stituted. The building was well filled by officials and others ; great was the enthusiasm with which the ceremony passed off, the numbers of Volunteers in the ranks of the new regiment being ninety-three. Some changes, having for their object the improved condition of the soldier, were now in course of introduction. Thus orders were issued on the subject of corporal punishment, the infliction of which was reduced to a minimum. In other respects the stringent methods here- tofore considered necessary for the maintenance of discipline were so relaxed that old officers were wont to predict a number of evil conse- quences as sooner or later sure to follow. With the introduction of the national system of education into regi- mental schools, the reading of the Holy Bible in them was looked upon as seriously menaced in the present and threatened with pro- hibition in the near future. According to orders issued on the subject, — by means of belts — quickly convinced them that they were — so much matter in the wrong place. * 5th and 6th Madras. -6o] Plymouth 157 " the Bible is only to be read, and religious instruction of any kind given, during one hour per week, and then in the presence of the Roman Catholic priest." Many among us looked with dread and apprehension to the probable outcome of the changes so begun. That in the large garrison of Plymouth and Devonport there existed no regular hospital for the wives and children of soldiers seemed to most of us a very anomalous circumstance. Correspondence on the subject between myself and the Divisional authorities was without practical result. Taking advantage of the popularity and influence of Miss Nightingale at the War Office, I addressed myself to that lady. In a marvellously short space of time orders were received to set on foot such an establishment ; they were quickly carried out, very much to the benefit of the classes for whom it was intended. On January 15, i860, I received a letter from the Registrar of the Bath, directing me to hold myself in readiness to proceed to Windsor, there to receive the Insignia of that Order, to which I had some months previously been gazetted.^ Two days thereafter — namely, on the 17 th — a further letter ordering my attendance at Windsor Castle, at quarter before 3 p.m. precisely, on the 19th. On the i8th I pro- ceeded, taking my dear wife with me, to that Royal burgh. The early part of the forenoon of the 19th was occupied in visiting some of the points of interest connected with the Castle, more especially the Round Tower and St. George's Chapel, the latter containing that most beautiful work of art, the cenotaph to the Princess Charlotte. Punctually at the hour appointed, those of us who were to be simi- larly honoured drove to the Castle. We were shown into the Oak Room, and there, taking count of each other, discovered that our party numbered fourteen. Luncheon over, a messenger announced that Her Majesty was ready to begin the ceremony of investiture. The Lancaster Herald,^ who had meantime very courteously initiated some of us in the formalities to be observed, then mustered us in our order. He led the way, we following, into the great corridor, at a door opening into which we were halted, to be called in our turn to the Royal presence. The first to enter was an officer upon whom the honour of knighthood was to be conferred. Each Companion was summoned in his order of seniority as such. The cross with which we were severally to be invested was by the Lancashire Herald carried upon a cushion of crimson velvet. The door being opened, we separately entered a small apartment, at the further end of which stood 1 London Gazette, May 14, 1859. 2 Mr. (afterwards Sir Albert) Woods. 158 Thirty-ftine Years in the Army [1859 the Queen; at her right side the Prince Consort. Our names Announced, we advanced, making obeisance as we did so, knelt upon the right knee ; the cross was attached over to the left breast by Her Majesty; we kissed hands, retired backwards, profoundly bowing the •while. Thus we emerged, and the ceremony was over.^ Preparations on a large scale for the expedition to China were in rapid progess, the military forces to be sent thither comprising regi- ments direct from England, others, British and native, from India. Public attention and a good deal of adverse criticism were directed to what was looked upon as excessive naval and military estimates in a so-called time of profound peace. At important military and naval stations, fortifications were much extended, and newly armed with Armstrong guns ; for, although there was much of what was ludicrous in the "boastings of the French Colonels," the fact was apparent that their expressions were not altogether unnoticed by our authorities. Excursions in various directions were taken ; some with the object of seeing places of historical interest, some to take note of the early spring flora, others to examine geological features of the neighbouring country. One such visit was to copper mines near Liskeard, there to see for the first time the beautiful " peacock " ore brought from the depths of earth and displayed to our gaze by means of a ham- mer wielded by the sturdy arms of " Captain Jane," — for the superin- tendent of the mine was a woman so named. At a little distance from the Canadian and Phoenix mines rises the Cheesewring, a granite hill some 1,200 feet in height, the rocks on its summit so piled upon each other as to thus give rise to its particular name. On some of those rocks were marks of boulder action, also tracings that bore distinct resemblance of vessels in ordinary use by Hindoos at their worship on the banks of the Hooghly, and now attri- buted to the Druids, one of whose places of sacrifice this tor may perhaps have been. More and more did the state of uncertainty and unrest in which regimental ofiScers had to perform their duties increase during the early months of the year, by the condition of affairs in Continental Europe. With regard to items of the general complication then noted, the following extract from my diary, written at the time, reads some- what strangely to-day, namely : " France resolved upon the annexation of Savoy, notwithstanding the strongly expressed opposition of England against that measure ; the threatened occupation of Tetuan by Spain, * I was the first regimental surgeon invested by Her Majesty with the Cross of the Bath. -6o] Devonport 159 opposed by England, as being against the terms on which ■ England remained neutral between that country and Morocco." The first decade of wedded life completed,* the following reference to the occasion was written at the time : " Notwithstanding all that I have undergone since that event, sufficient of my early romance remains to enter in this place the motto which on that occasion surrounded the bon-bon broken by my bride and myself at our wedding luncheon — ' My hopes are in the bud ; bid them bloom.' " As the paragraph is being transcribed, the fifth decade is not far from completion. With affection chastened and sanctified by trial and affliction, I express to the Almighty humble gratitude that from bud my hopes have indeed advanced to bloom — holy and refined. Towards the end of April, soldiers and officers of the loth received their medals awarded for the campaign connected with the Indian Mutiny. No pomp and circumstance of military display took place on the occasion of their doing so. On the contrary, from the manner in which the distribution took place, all such accompaniments were inten- tionally avoided. It was while walking on the public thoroughfare in Devonport, that by accident, as it were, I met a sergeant in whose hand was a packet of little card-case boxes ; one of these he presented to me — it contained my medal. I then continued on my way ! ' March 14. i6o Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i86o CHAPTER XIX i860. DEVONPORT. HONG-KONG Ordered to China — Embark — "Overland" route — Alexandria — Cairo — Desert- Suez — Red Sea — Aden — Galle — Across the Bay — Penang — Baron Gros and Lord Elgin — Hong-Kong. ON April 26 I had the unlooked-for surprise to receive a demi- official letter from the Departmental Office, warning me for ser- vice in China on promotion. The note of the circumstance recorded in my diary at the time was this : " Bitter has been my disappointment on being superseded. In my turn I am now to supersede others ; but the system is not the less cruel to those who suffer by it.'' The promotion so indicated implied that I was about to pass over an entire grade,*^ including its members, all of whom are my seniors in the service. Short was the time allowed to make arrangements for my dear wife and children, from all of whom I took leave on May z. On the fol- lowing day I received further orders in London, and proceeded to Southampton ; on 4th embarked on board the P. and O. steamer Ripon ; by 2 p.m. we were on our voyage. The " Overland " route was now before us, its attractions and inci- dents new to me. The bold coast scenery of Portugal, towns, forts, and convents succeeded each other at short intervals ; Mondego Bay ; Mafra, near to which the " lines " of Torres Vedras were begun, by England's great commander. Then the Spanish coast with its vine- yards and olive groves, villages and hamlets ; Tarifa, at the siege ot which by the French, in 1811-12, the 87th Regiment gained distinction by repelling the assailants under General Laval,^ the old Moorish walls of that town being clearly seen by us. Now came into view, on our right, Ceuta, far away behind which rose peaks of the Atlas range ; the great rock and fortress of Gibraltar, between it and Africa the " gut " some twelve miles broad ; then we are in the comparatively wide ex- ' Namely, that of Surgeon-Major. * January 4, 1812. i86o] Devonport — Hong-Kong i6i panse of the "blue Mediterranean." Rising to a height of 11,000 feet, the Sierra Nevada, white with snow and magnificent in outline on our left, the chilly breezes from which now swept across our track. Next, passing close by the Cane rocks, where since the previous January a lighthouse was established ; then the sight of the Gulf of Tunis carried historical associations back to Carthage and its wars. The island of Pantellaria, pretty to view from the distance, but as a penal settlement for Sicilian convicts, it is in all probability less agree- able as a place of residence. Then, on our right, Gozo, the cultivated terraces on which could be distinctly seen through our binoculars ; otherwise the island looked treeless and bare, the most prominent objects upon it a succession of fortifications, for it is garrisoned by British troops. Yet, bare as it seems, Gozo is said to be a " garden " whence fruit and vegetables are chiefly supplied to Malta. Now we approach that island, the densely crowded town of Valetta comes in sight ; we enter the harbour, ramparts and bastions on either side of us, the monotony of the town buildings interrupted by spires and pinnacles ; every building dazzling white. As the anchor drops, we know that our stay is to be brief; a hasty run ashore, a visit to St. John's Cathedral, the Armoury, one or two other places of interest, then we resume our journey eastward. Alexandria was our next point of interest. As in the early hours of morning we approached that historical port and city, the lighthouse, the numerous windmills along the shore line, were the distinctive objects first seen ; as we entered the harbour, the Lazaretto, seraglio and palace of the Sultan were on our left. Ships of all nations, but the majority British, swing at anchor in our near proximity. A steamer conveyed us to the railway station, whence by train to Cairo, passing on our way an extensive line of ruins of the ancient aqueduct of Alexandria, destroyed by Diocletian, a.d. 296 ; the station of Meyrout, the name indicating Mseotis, the lake or reservoir so named being indicated by a succession of shallow pools, on some of which " sportsmen " were engaged in shoot- ing water-birds of sorts ; then the windings of the Mahmoodieh Canal to our left ; fields of bearded wheat and barley ready for the sickle, while in some few places "thrashing floors" were extemporised, oxen un- muzzled engaged on them, as in the days of the patriarchs. Crossing the Nile at Kafr ez Zajyat, the first glimpse of that sacred stream was obtained ; then the Pyramids of Ghizeh came in view, recalling to our minds many associations connected with their wonderful history ; then early in the afternoon we were at Cairo. El Kahira, " the Beautiful " ! Under the guidance of a dragoman from the hotel where a brief stay was made, we started to explore the city. M 1 62 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 Winding our way through narrow streets, named respectively the Turkish, French, and Greek Bazaars, opportunity was given to observe the man- ners and strange variety of persons and costumes in those places. Having visited various smaller mosques, we ascended to the Citadel, the work of Saladin, a.d. 1176, but interesting not so much in itself as for the famous mosque of alabaster contained within it, that edifice erected by Mahomed Ali, and now forming his tomb. The por- tion of the citadel wall whence, on the occasion of the massacre of the Mamelukes by order of that monarch in March, 181 1, Emir Bey leaped his horse to a depth of 60 to 80 feet, then succeeded in effect- ing his escape, was carefully scanned. At a little distance from it we stood in the palace yard in which 700 doomed Beys, having been treacherously invited to a pretended marriage, were shot down from loopholes around, while in a window pointed out to us the Pasha sat looking on, and quietly enjoying his chebouk. From the walls we readily followed by the eye the Nile, winding and flowing smoothly on as in the days of the Pharaohs. Green with vegetation was the island of Rhodda, upon which, B.C. 1517, the infant Moses was found by Thermu- this, the king's daughter ; ^ in the distance the plain of Bussateen, upon which tradition records that the Israelites encamped in the first day of their flight. Further away were the Pyramids of Sakarah and Dahshur. Beyond them the haze seemed to blend with the desert. Next day the passengers via Marseilles arrived, and the whole party of us resumed our journey. It was not long until our train had entered the desert, extending far as the eye could reach ; in some places varied by sandhills of different sizes, in others flat, but everywhere destitute of vegetation save a few stunted bushes. In the bright sun- shine the mirage glittered deceptively, presenting the appearance of sea and islands, to vanish in their turn as we approached them. A few short halts at stations, and we detrain at Suez, to resume our journey by sea ; we have completed the " overland " portion of it. Suez, supposed to be the ancient Arsinoe, was interesting for the reason that in our approach thereto we had an opportunity of observing the line of retreat assigned by tradition to the Israelites in their flight from their oppressors. But now our movements were hurried ; we were quickly on board the Colombo, ready waiting for us in the gulf, and so away we steamed towards the Red Sea. Our progress was uneventful during the five days occupied in travers- ing that much-dreaded track. The temperature of air and sea rose to a higher point than we had yet experienced ; the numerous islands, ' Exodus ii. S, 6 ; see also Josephus. i860] Devonport — Hong-Kong 163 the greater number destitute of lighthouses, were material proofs of dangers to navigation by night — a danger rendered the more signi- ficant as we steamed close past a rock on which a P. and O. vessel ^ had shortly before been wrecked. As we passed the position of Mocha, binoculars revealed to us the white houses, minarets, pillars, and bal- conies of that Arabian town. The rock of Aden, bare, rugged and unattractive in appearance, rose before us ; in due time we were at anchor in the bay. The usual rush ashore was not indulged in, because of the great heat prevailing, nor did we look with envy upon the few residents who took their afternoon drive along the strand, our own amusement consisting in throwing small coins into the sea, and seeing the great agility of young Arabs as they dived after and caught them. In the early morning of June 4, our ship arrived in Galle harbour, the view as we entered rich and beautiful, the hills on either side and in front thickly covered with palms and under vegetation, but the heavy hot atmosphere causing a sense of great oppression. The south- west monsoon was at full strength, the sea beating in heavy breakers over some rocks at the harbour. As we entered we came close to the wreck of the Malabar ; that vessel, while starting from her anchorage a few days previous, having on board the English and French Plenipoten- tiaries to China, was driven upon a rock, and wrecked by the heavy weather prevaihng. Here we had to tranship to the Pekin, to continue by that vessel our voyage eastward. While so delayed, we indulged in the usual drives to places in the neighbourhood, everywhere through dense forests of palms, alternated with those of other tropical forms, the atmo- sphere hot, damp, and oppressive. The Cinnamon Gardens, so named from what was formerly a principal product of the island, were in a state of neglect and decay ; the cinnamon industry a thing of the past, like that of the nutmeg, at one time prosperous while as yet Ceylon was Dutch property ; nor was the cultivation of coffee a success by British planters, the shrub which yields that berry being attacked by insect and vegetable blights, the general result being ruin to nearly all interested in its cultivation. The accident referred to led to the rescued passengers from the Malabar being sent on board the Pekin, and our ship was crowded to a degree that speedily became unpleasant. As we steamed across the Bay of Bengal in heavy monsoon weather, the ports had to be closed. Then it was that, in addition to the sweltering atmosphere " below,'' emanations from opium, that drug being the chief portion of the ship's cargo, affected ' The Alma. 164 Thirty-nine Years in the Army i860 lis unpleasantly, first by the sense of taste, then by exerting to some extent its narcotising influence ; it was therefore a most welcome relief to us, as we approached Sumatra, to get into clear weather, to have every- thing thrown open, and so enjoy the delightful change that had taken place in our condition. Our next point was the high and thickly wooded island of Penang. Our ship having dropped anchor, several of our party started to " explore " that very lovely island. We drove along well-made roads, on either side bordered with bamboo hedges, through which flowering creepers stretched or hung in festoons. Bungalows, each in its well-kept garden, in which grew palms, tropical fruit trees, and flowers, were thickly dotted about ; an extensive field of " pawn '' pepper, then groves of nutmeg trees were passed, and we arrived at the object of our excursion, the cascade, 140 to 160 feet high. Here, for the first time, we indulged in that delicious fruit the mangosteen. Arrived at Singapore,^ the busy aspect of the town, with its population of 70,000, chiefly Chinese, impressed us. We noted with interest the numerous temples connected with the sects into which that population is divided. In the course of a ramble taken for purposes of discovery we were accosted by a Chinaman. He addressed us rudely; laughing and gesticulating as he spoke, he said, " Plenty English going to China ; they will soon be all shot;" thus expressing his own views and probably also his desire in regard to the issue of the war. Among a great variety ot articles publicly exposed for sale were two small pieces of ordnance ; nor could the sale of such weapons be interfered with, as no Declaration of War had so far been made. While our ship, the Pekin, remained in harbour, some of our number paid their respects to His Excellency the Governor — namely, to Colonel Cavanagh — whose story at Maharajpore has already been recorded. On various occasions during this part of our voyage, opportunity brought us in contact with the representatives of France and England, our fellow-passengers. Baron Gros was generally reserved in manner ; Lord Elgin, on the contrary, frank and open. The latter expressed his views that an advance on Pekin had become a matter of necessity ; in his negotiations with the Chinese, he meant to ask only for what is rea- sonable and just, and having done so to obtain it ; but not to take advantage of one concession to base upon it a demand for another. He was of opinion that the season was too far advanced to permit of further proceedings than the capture of the Tientsin forts, as a base of operations for the ensuing spring ; some of the islands in the Gulf of Pehchili being 1 Lat. 1° N. i860] Devonport — Hong-Kong 165 taken possession of to serve as sanatoria. He observed, with reference to the existence of the Taiping rebellion, that if on the one hand the influence of the Court at Pekin were to be seriously weakened, the schemes of the rebel party would be thereby assisted ; while on the other hand severe chastisement was necessary as retribution for treacherous action against our ambassadors and their ships at Taku. Therefore, the diflSculty to be overcome was to punish and yet not seriously injure the Imperial power. But events were to outrun the anticipa- tions so expressed. Hong-Kong was reached on Midsummer Day. As the town of Victoria came in sight, the general aspect presented by it produced a favourable impression upon us ; the light and airy style of houses rising in tiers above each other upwards along the precipitous mountain face, that mountain culminating in a peak some 1,500 feet above sea level, pre- sented a panorama different altogether in character from anything we had hitherto seen. The circumstance that the town and the roads where the shipping lay were completely sheltered from the south-west mon- soon then prevailing furnished full explanation for the oppressive damp heat to which we were at once introduced.* It became my painful duty to announce myself to the officer, who, by the fact of my arrival, was superseded in his position, with whom in his disappointment and chagrin I much sympathised.* Indeed, so greatly did he feel what he looked upon as the disgrace into which he had departmentally fallen, that his subsequent career was unfortunate ; nor did he ever return to England. ' In 1841 the island of Hong-Kong, considered by the Chinese as "only a barren rock," was ceded to the British. Within the short period of nineteen years, the sur- prising transformation above indicated took place. 2 The date of my rank as Deputy Inspector-General, May ii, i860. 1 66 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i86o CHAPTER XX i860. HONG-KONG. TIENTSIN Expeditionary force— An incident— The island— Different bodies of troops— Certain difficulties— Red tape— Canton— " Sing-song " boats— Honau— Beggars— The city shops — Temple of Five Hundred Worthies — Buddhist temple— News from the north — Pekin occupied— Hong-Kong to Shanghai— Taiping rebels — Treaty —The city— Vicinity— H. M.S. .fforfa<:,5—Taku— Tientsin. THE expeditionary force had already sailed northward, its equip- ment and appliances on a scale of completeness unknown prior to the recent Royal Commission. Before that expedition started, all non-effectives, whether by sickness or other causes, were eliminated ; what was called a Provisional Battalion was organized for their recep- tion, as well as for that of newly arrived reinforcements from home to fill expected " waste " among those actively engaged. The ordinary barrack accommodation at Hong-Kong being insufficient, huts were erected at various points, among others on the peak called Victoria ; a large vessel in harbour fitted up for hospital purposes, and vessels engaged, as necessity arose, for the transport of invalids to the Cape of Good Hope and England. Among the non-effectives left by the — st Regiment was an officer now indicated by the initial M . At his request I visited him, in company with his medical attendant. It was evident at a glance that he was extremely ill, his life rapidly ebbing away. He addressed me after this manner : " I have asked you to see me that you might tell me what you think of my state." To my inquiry, " Are you prepared to receive my answer ? " he replied, in impatient tones : " If I were not, I would not have asked the question." " I am sorry, then, to believe that you have but a very short time to live," was my remark. " I thought as much. Do you see that packet on my chest of drawers ? I want you to take it away with you ; as soon as I am dead, to burn it un- opened in your own room." Such was his request, and so far I acceded to it. The following morning M was dead ; his packet burnt as he had desired. A sequel to this incident will be mentioned hereafter. i86o] Hong-Kong 167 In the words of a newspaper correspondent,^ the island of Hong- Kong may be compared to a beautiful woman with a notoriously bad temper, — to be admired from a distance, but not become intimately ac- quainted with. At the date of our arrival the midday heat, as gauged by our sensations, was great ; the sky cloudless, exercise or duty out of doors very trying, a sensation of sickness experienced in a way alto- gether different from what was felt in India. Early in July the rainy season began. Quickly a series of waterfalls poured over rocky promontories; Victoria Peak was enveloped in mist; temperature mode- rated, the general conditions became bearable. So they continued till September ; intervals of rain and sunshine alternated with each other. Unhappily endemic forms of disease went on steadily increasing in prevalence and rates of mortality. A favourable change took place in all these conditions as the last-named month advanced, and progressed till the cold season fairly set in. The portion of the force with which I was immediately concerned included British and native Indian troops, the latter belonging to the three several presidencies of that Dependency. Each of these bodies had its own code of Regulations, in accordance with which routine duties were conducted, while all of them seemed unwilling to accept those of the Imperial service, under which alone administration of the expeditionary force had of necessity to be conducted. Another difficulty in which I was personally affected seemed to arise from the circumstance that some of the instructions under which my duties in relation to shipping had to be conducted were special, while those under which the naval authority on the spot conducted his de- partment were general. Unhappily a good deal of friction was the outcome of this state of things, all of which might have been possibly avoided had mutual explanation been given in respect to the particular orders under which we were severally acting. It seems to me, also, while I refer to what was very unpleasant at the time of its occurrence, that in many circumstances connected with public duties where mis- understandings arise, they would be most readily prevented by means of elucidation of the points of view from which divergent action is taken, or the interpretation of orders from which it is adopted. As an example of the system of " red tape " under which duties of very ordinary description had to be carried on, the following may be mentioned: — A water-pipe connected with the military hospital went wrong; the supply through it had to be cut off, to the very great inconvenience of the sick. I at once reported the circumstance to the 1 Wingrove Cook. 1 68 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 Officer in command of the garrison, such being the routine directed by Regulations, requesting at the same time that immediate steps should be taken to make the required repairs. My letter was by the Com- manding Officer transmitted to the Engineer Officer, who forwarded it to the Clerk of the Works, who came and inspected the defect in the pipe, then wrote a report about it to the Engineer Officer, who sent the report to the Commanding Officer, who sent to the Town Major, who sent it to me. Meanwhile, the hot season being at its height, and nothing actually done to remedy the defect complained of, I was con- strained to again start the correspondence by observing that what was urgently required was, not reports, but that the damaged pipe should be repaired. Doubtless my letter to that eifect had, like its pre- decessor, to be transmitted through the series of " channels " so enu- merated. I quite forget at this distance of time whether the pipe was ever repaired or not. The circumstance that a portion of our force occupied quarters at Canton led me to visit that important city. The steamer by which the trip thither along the Pearl River was performed bore the romantic name The White Cloud. We passed the Bocca Tigris or Bogue forts,* continued our journey through a district thickly interspersed with vil- lages and hamlets, but destitute of pasture land, though otherwise richly cultivated, the rice fields profusely irrigated. Whampoa was mean-looking, the greater number of its houses erected on piles so as to overhang the river ; the stream crowded with ships and vessels of sorts belonging to various nations. The foreign population lived in "chops " or hulks of Chinese junks; others were utilised as offices and merchants' stores. Docks were being established, and other improve- ments effected which, in later years, have made that place the actual port of the southern capital. Arrived at Canton, landing was effected by means of one of the thousands of sampans or passenger boats that lay along either bank and crowded the river, — these boats " manned " by women, who kept up a chorus of laughing and talking, their cheery and, for the most part, well-looking faces indicating that cares, as understood in the West, pressed upon them but lightly, if at all. " Sing-song," or Flower-boats,^ gorgeously painted and otherwise ornamented, lay in tiers, and towered high above the humble sampan. The particular race of natives by whom, through many generations, they have been occupied, are looked upon as descendants of the kin who held Northern China, a.d. iioo, ' Captured by the British, February 25, 1842. ''■ In the early part of 1894 hundreds of these boats were destroyed by fire. i860] Hong-Kong 169 supplemented by, those of traitors who aided the Japanese in their descent upon CheVkiang, a.d. 1555-1563. Having landed, the "car- riage " by which our further trip was taken consisted of " chairs " made of bamboo work, carried on the shoulders of three brawny Chinamen, namely, two in front and one behind, their strong muscles thrown in bold relief on their uncovered chests and limbs as they carried us at rapid pace along. Such were the conditions in i860. The island of Honan was occupied by various important hongs, or places of business belonging to native Chinese merchants. One of them, the property of Houqua, whose name at that time was familiar in England, was devoted to the cleaning and preparation of teas for the market. The large and well-aired hall within was occupied by a series of tables placed at convenient distances from each other. At each sat a man or woman — for the sexes worked together — who from a basket at hand picked the coarser fragments, and so left the finer description of the tea to be dealt with again. In another hall stood a couple of fanners ; ^ through them the tea was passed, the finer portions being separated in the process from the coarser. This apartment was orna- mented with flowers and shrubs in pots ; a delicious flavour of " the fragrant leaf" pervaded the air. All around was scrupulously clean and tidy, the employks neat in person, well-clothed^ apparently well fed, and, to judge by their smiles and good humour, very happy. Everywhere in the streets blind beggars abounded, each armed with two flat discs of bamboo ; the sound produced by constantly beating them against each other became decidedly unpleasant by their very numbers, rendering conversation impossible. Whether a great part of their blindness was due to disease or to artificial means, we had no means of ascertaining. The Tartar suburb or quarter of Canton comprised narrow streets paved with flag stones, intersected by narrow canals, spanned at inter- vals by bridges after the style of the " willow pattern plate " ; the houses of no more than one storey high, for the reason that in China it is con- sidered pretentious for a man to raise himself above his fellows. The odours that everywhere prevailed exceeded, in variety and intensity, all that had heretofore been experienced. The people, old and young, male and female, poor in circumstances as many of them appeared to be, looked physically hale, strong, and healthy. Traversing the breadth of the city, we arrived at " The Heights," on the slope of which stood the Yamen of the notorious Yeh ; near thereto, "The Five-Storied Pagoda," now occupied by French troops, and above it waved the Tricolour ; while in a series of bell tents were the men of the 87th ' Phoong quel, or wind-box. 170 Thirty-nine Years in the Ar7ny [isso Royal Irish Fusiliers — the conjunction not altogether a happy one, seeing that the 87 th wear on their shakos a French eagle, in commemo- ration of that captured by them at Barossa. Various temples and other public buildings were visited in the course of our interesting excursion ; one of the latter a native prison, ricketty, tottering, and foul, its unhappy inmates lying upon the damp floor, chained, or with cangs on their necks, their existence dependent upon food supplied from without, their naked bodies besmeared with filth and presenting many ulcers. Many of them were not accused of crimes committed by themselves, but were undergoing punishment for the reason that their relatives had joined the ranks of the Taiping rebels. We intentionally refrained from a visit to " the Potter's field," or execution ground, immediately adjacent to the prison. Everywhere along the streets were signs of activity and industry ; shops containing all sorts of clothing materials, strangely ornamented umbrellas and lanterns ; others devoted to old curiosities, jewelry, or watch-making, a good many to lacquer ware ; nor could we withhold admiration of the elegant patterns and workmanship of such articles as cabinets, tables, screens, fans, etc., exposed for sale. But here, as in countries more advanced in certain phases of civilization, signs of superstition are apparent. Above the door of such establishments a horse's hoof is nailed, and so Satanic influences guarded against. In the enlightened West, a horse's shoe fulfils the same purpose. The Temple of the Five Hundred Gods or worthies, then deemed one of the most characteristic sights of Canton, well repaid our visit to it. Among objects within that edifice is a miniature pagoda of eight stages, the whole consisting of beautifully cut marble, its total height twenty-five feet. The figures of the gods or heroes are all life-size. They represent various nationalities, one of their number in feature and dress like an Englishman. According to legend, the person so commemorated was a sailor, cast ashore wrecked on the coast of China. His life being spared, he ultimately rose to high posi- tion, and finally was, in effigy, honoured with a place in this Walhalla. Another portion of the building was devoted to the purposes of a Buddhist temple, in which, at the time of our visit, "service" was being performed, or "celebrated." The scene within comprised an altar, plain, without idols or other decoration ; situated in an open space, bare-headed and shaven priests, some wearing robes of blue, others of grey cloth, all with a yellow-coloured surplice thrown over the left shoulder and brought loosely under the right arm. As they knelt at various distances from the altar, in seeming accordance wkh their rank, their hands in attitude of supplication, they joined in chanting i860] Hong-Kong 1 7 1 what, in its intonation, resembled the Litany of our Western Churches ; at intervals a sniall bell being gently struck, as in the Roman Catholic service. A congregation of men was present, but manifestly destitute of reverence or devotion. A few days were thus pleasantly spent ; I then returned to duty at Hong-Kong. At the time referred to, that island was noted for the hospitality of residents, and the scale of magnificence upon which it was carried on. It was my good fortune to enjoy much of it, and of friendliness in other ways ; among others, from representatives of the great houses of Jardine, Dent, and others, and from Mr. Campbell, then of the Oriental Bank. Towards the end of August, a French Express boat brought intelli- gence that the English and French combined forces had landed at Pehtang ; that, while advancing thence to Taku, our cavalry had been charged by the Tartar horse, with results disastrous to the latter. A few days more, news reached us that a somewhat sharp action had taken place, with somewhat severe loss to the allies, but leaving in their hands Taku and neighbouring forts ; that the whole disposable force was in rapid motion towards Tientsin, in view to carrying out the intention of Lord Elgin to push on to the capital. A short interval passed, when attempts at negotiation at Tientsin having failed, the army continued its onward march. At Tungchow, a very sad occurrence befell it. By treachery, a body of Chinese, headed by the Prince Tsai, captured several officials, officers, and others ; namely, Mr. Parkes, Mi. Bowlby (of the Times), Mr. Loch, Mr. De Normann, Lieutenant Ander- son, Captain Brabazon, and several troopers belonging to Fane's Horse. The Chinese army, under San ko Lin Sin, was, however, completely beaten ; the road to Pekin left clear. Lord Elgin at once sent a com- munication to the Emperor, that, in the event of a hair of the head of one of the prisoners being touched, the combined forces would burn the Imperial palace to the ground. A few days more, and on October 13 the allied army was in possession of the Chinese quarter of Pekin; the palace outside and north of the city given up to loot ; the Emperor fled ; the Summer Palace in ruins ; the Chinese army vanished ! Unhappily, news at the same time reached us that, although Mr. Parkes and Mr. Loch had been given up by the Chinese, they had been subject to various indig- nities before being so ; but that others of the prisoners had succumbed under the barbarities to which they were subjected, among them Mr. Bowlby.i ' In 1841, a brother of Mr. Bowlby was appointed to the Army Medical Depart- ment, and ordered to the West Indies. From the first, he expressed a foreboding of death by yellow fever, an event which happened shortly after his arrival there. Not s his a singular instance of the same kind ; several have been met with in India. 172 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 Early in November, information reached us that a treaty of peace had been signed in the Imperial capital by Prince Kung and Lord Elgin. In accordance with its conditions, in addition 'to a war indemnity to be paid by the Chinese, a special sum was to be given for the families of the captives who had been killed or died in captivity. Thus, the object of the expedition had been obtained more speedily than Lord Elgin expected. The forces began their return march from Pekin towards Taku, there to embark, a brigade being detailed to occupy Tientsin until the indemnity should be paid. In obedience to orders to join " the Army of Occupation " ^ at Tientsin, as the brigade left at that place was now officially called, I left Hong- Kong by the steamer Formosa, on November 28. Next day, we passed the mouth of the river Han, on the western bank of which stands Shah-tew, or, as pronounced in EngUsh, Swatow; the day following, traversed the channel that separates the island of Formosa from the city of Amoy on the mainland. Already the temperature was pleasantly cool, sky clear, wind and sea rather high, the effect of these conditions bracing and exhilarating, as compared with that produced by the trying and unpleasant climate we had left behind us. The general aspect of the coast wherever visible, as we advanced on our voyage, was bare and inhospitable. In our course, islands were numerous, the majority apparently uninhabited even by birds, and otherwise uninviting to look upon. As we approached the Yangtse, vegetation covered more and more thickly the islands passed by us ; sea-birds were increasingly numerous, the water thick with mud. We arrived at Shanghai on December 3. In the latter days of August, Shanghai had been seriously attacked by the Taiping rebels. On both occasions, the Imperialists fled before the enemy ; but a foreign contingent of British, Indian, and French troops, with a body of volunteers composed of the foreign residents, repulsed the rebels, on whom they inflicted severe loss. During the attacks in question, several buildings had been destroyed or seri- ously damaged, the ruins being prominent objects in our view. So also were the remains of barricades and other extemporised defences. On the day of our arrival, the Indian Navy vessel, the Feroze, having on board Lord Elgin and suite, steamed up the Woosung River and anchored alongside us. The following day the Grenada arrived, with Sir Hope Grant, his staff, and various senior officers of the expedition, whose allotted task was completed in that the object of the expedition had been attained. But a new phase was about to be assumed by public ' In the official position of P.M.O. i86o] Tientsin 1 73 affairs ; arrangements had to be made for events, the shadow, as well as substance, of which affected the immediate vicinity of Shang- hai, and extended over a great part of China. Whereas, diplomatic and military action had be^n directed heretofore against the Imperial power, both were now to be devoted to the support of that power, and against insurrectionary movements,* the real object of which was the overthrow of the ruling dynasty. Various bands of marauders, , taking advantage of existing disturbances, were devastating the neigh- bourhood. Piratical bands, in which were enrolled escaped sailors and vagabonds of sorts, were giving so much trouble on the Yangtse, that it was necessary at once to dispatch a small river force for their suppression. Copies of the Treaty* signed at Pekin on October 24 were immediately affixed to the walls throughout the native city of Shanghai. Crowds of Chinese assembled at various places to read the unwonted documents, printed as they were in their own language. An English version was at the same time published, for the benefit of foreigners, the nine articles comprised in it being to the effect that — (i) The Emperor expresses his deep regret for the affair at Taku; (2) Her Majesty's representative shall reside permanently, or occasionally, as she may wish, at Pekin ; (3) Eight millions of taels (_;^2,ooo,ooo) to be paid in instalments (as indemnity) ; (4) Tientsin to be opened for trade ; (5) Emigration of Chinese to British colonies to be permitted; (6) Kowloon to be ceded; (7) The Treaty of 1858 shall come at once into operation; (8) That Treaty shall be published in Pekin and in the provinces ; (9) On the Convention being signed, Chusan to be restored to Chinese (from occupation by the British), the British forces to com- mence their march from Pekin to Tientsin ; that, if necessary, Taku, the north coast of Shantung, and Canton shall be occupied until the indemnity is paid. The morning after that Proclamation had been affixed to the walls, it was found in tatters and defaced ! A visit to the native city and its immediate surroundings introduced us to scenes characteristic of Chinese habits and of the particular cir- cumstances of the time. Within the city and fosse a succession of narrow dirty streets, low-built houses, canals spanned by "willow pattern " bridges, cook shops, vegetable stalls, fur and " curio " shops. Adjoining one such street, a wretched shed, the damp earthen floor partly covered with straw, partly with refuse of very filthy kind. On 1 Chiefly the Taipings. 2 That is, the Treaty of Tientsin, dated 1858, was ratified, and, together with a Convention of Peace, signed by Lord Elgin and Prince Kung. 174 Tkirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 the floor three human dead bodies, emaciated from starvation ; a woman almost devoid of clothing, wasted to an extreme degree, wailing piteously over one of the three ; another, still alive, but to all appear- ance in the last extreme from long-continued want of food. This we were informed is the place to which the miserably poor, and those who give up the battle of life, resort to die. Among the establishments visited were numerous fur shops, an extensive store of china or porce- lain ware, a factory in which is woven the beautiful gold embroidery for which Shanghai is famous, — the embroidery being for the most part on blue cloth, its own most characteristic pattern the Imperial dragon, distinguished by having five toes, whereas the more plebeian emblems of the same survival of the pterodactyl has but four. What had been until recently ornamental " Tea" gardens were now occupied by French troops ; once highly ornamented buildings within such enclosures con- verted into barracks for our allies. Uprooted shrubs and valuable plants lay about decayed and withered ; rockwork, including fanciful- shaped miniature bridges, cast like so much rubbish into what had been artificial lakes and streams peopled by fish and water-plants. The glory of the place was indeed gone — desecrated, as the Chinese could not inappropriately say, by Western " barbarians." To a distance of several miles inland from the city the aspect of the country is more or less that of a continuous burial ground, interspersed with coffins left as they were placed, upon rather than under the sur- face of the ground, many of them broken and so exposing to view their ghastly contents. Here and there patches of ground were devoted to the cultivation of vegetables, in the midst of graves and coffins ; while continuing our walk we met isolated coolies carrying at each end of an elastic piece of bamboo, supported on the shoulder at its middle, a jar containing the bones of their " ancestors," being so borne away, doubtless, to be reverently disposed of elsewhere. Every- where the district was intersected by canals and water-courses, raised and narrow pathways across the intervening fields ; we seemed to be wandering in the " city of the silent." Alongside the several canals and pathways were avenues of trees and ornamental shrubs.^ The presence of the magpie, jackdaw, wagtail, and sandpiper carried our associations away to the " insignificant island in the Western sea." Game birds were abundant, as we had an opportunity of witnessing in the city market ; but since that date we learn that villas, gardens, and orna- mental grounds have grown up, and so completely transformed the ' Chiefly privet (LigusHcum) and lycium. Among the representatives of British plants were the dock, dandelion, and ivy-leaved veronica. i860 Tientsin 175 landscape as seen by us. Almost at every turn we met French soldiers oif duty, or in considerable bodies marching from Woosung, at which place reinforcements were being landed from transports ; in fact, there was little in the aspect of Shanghai to indicate that it was an English settlement. These and some other excursions were taken in company of Mr. Lamond, to whom I was much indebted for hospitality. H.M.S. Roebuck, by which I was ordered to proceed northward, left Shanghai on December 11. Three days afterwards we were off the promontory of Shantung ; the weather propitious, sky clear, breeze moderate, temperature on deck 48° F. to 44° R, sea smooth. But a rapid change took place. During the night of the 14th, darkness be- came so intense that Captain Martin, deeming it unsafe to proceed in a region little known and imperfectly surveyed, determined to cast anchor. By midnight we were in a heavy wind storm j it having cleared off by daylight, the ship resumed progress and was speedily among the Meatao Islands ; a few hours more and we were in Hope Sound, otherwise a sheltered position in the concavity of the larger island of that group, called Chang Shang, where we found the British fleet collected, that of the French being off Chefoo, not far from our own. The Roebuck was ordered to await dispatches. While so doing, a number of rough-looking natives, brown in hue, Tartar in feature, their clothing partly consisting of wadded cotton, but in addition abundance of furs, came alongside in their boats, bringing with them rolls of bread, vegetables and fruits, similar to those we are accus- tomed to see at home. The presence of numbers of the common gull, the colder weather, the rougher sea, combined still further to recall the shores of England. Arrived off Taku,i so thick was the haze and mist by which that place and the sea to some distance from it were concealed, that for several hours neither the forts nor coast were visible, nor was it till the following day that we were able to land. The little gunboat the Clown having taken us on board, we were quickly in sight of the forts, some of them very formidable in appearance ; in the shallow discoloured water stakes still stood in lines where they had opposed the approach of Admiral Hope's gunboats, and we were able to estimate the further difH- culties on that occasion presented by the long stretch of mud which at low tide separated us from the forts. As evening was closing in, we entered the mouth of the Peiho ; in due time were within the southern fort, above which floated the Union Jack, the northern being similarly distinguished by the Tricolour. The great extent of its mud ramparts ^ On December i6. 176 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i86o was seen as we passed the inner gateway ; huts in rows that had been occupied by its defenders were now used as barracks by officers and men of the detachment temporarily stationed here, or by military stores. In all directions old gun carriages, broken wheels, furniture, and dtbris of sorts lay about in a state of confusion. I was under the very unplea- sant necessity of begging a night's accommodation from an ofiScer, a charity which he kindly accorded me. Mounted on a borrowed horse, without guard or guide, I started next day en route to my destination, the distance to be travelled not less than thirty miles. A midday halt to rest my steed ; a solitary ride along an ill-made road, through a flat, uninteresting tract of country, and final arrival without misadventure at Tientsin, completed the day's proceed- ings. Already the cold had become severe ; the wind, strong from east, swept over the plain ; patches of water and canals were covered by ice ; thus the journey has left on memory not a very agreeable impression. On arrival, however, I was kindly received by a brother officer.^ 1 Dr. Galbraith. i86a-6i] Tientsin 177 CHAPTER XXI 186O-I861 TIENTSIN Arrangements for troops — The city — Absence of Tartar soldiers — Rides — Dogs and birds — Agriculture — Grain-stores — Winter — Great cold — Moderating — Spring — Temples — Chinese "sport" — New Year's Day— Public baths— Ice-house — Foundling hospital — Story of Roman Catholic bishop — Hospital for Chinese — The "golden lily" — Gratitude — Wounded Tartars — Chinese Christian — Tor- tured Sikhs — French hospitals — Death of General CoUineau — Sickness among the troops. ARRANGEMENTS rapidly advanced in regard to accommodation, L food supplies, and medical care of the troops. Yamens — i.e., residences of wealthy inhabitants — were hired for temporary conversion into barracks. Markets and shops presented ample supplies of food, clothing, and articles of convenience, their owners showing much eagerness to do business with us. A tendency to pilfer, and other petty crimes, manifested itself on the part of some Asiatic followers and others, but was quickly suppressed by the Provost Marshal and his staff, after which discipline and order reigned among all classes pertain- ing to our force. Our French allies occupied quarters provided for them in the part of the city on the left side of the Peiho, the British and Indian being on the right of that river. The city was of great commercial importance, its population some 800,000; streets narrow and filthy, houses low and dilapidated; in extent stretching away to and embracing the point of junction between the Imperial Canal and Peiho, thus covering a space of at least four miles by three. Merchandise from Corea and the south of China arrived abundantly as at a general depot. Around the city proper a high wall extends, the crowded portion outside being called " suburbs," but in no other respect different from the intra-mural city. In the Peiho was a Russian gunboat ; in the city a small colony of Russian merchants, peacefully carrying on their business, and apparently on the most friendly terms with the people. A few Tartar traders, some lead- ing their strong shaggy ponies, others Bactrian camels, all laden with N 178 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 merchandise, were met with. As we pursued our way through the mazes of the city, the people simply ignored our presence, taking not the slightest notice of us, although by the caricatures of Europeans we frequently came across in shops and elsewhere it was evident that we were by no means welcome guests. In an open space a modeller was occupied in making, with great ease and rapidity, a series of figures in clay, representing, though with droll exaggeration, the Sikh and British soldiers. Women were conspicuous by their absence; virtue in the sex was honoured and commemorated by memorial arches at certain points throughout the city. Everywhere in the crowded, narrow, and extremely dirty streets, foot-passengers jostled each other; the diseased, of whom many suffering from loathsome affections, coming in contact with those better-to-do, and to all appear- ance healthy. At intervals a puppet show, the prototype of Punch and Judy, or more pretentious " show '' attracted crowds ; itinerant "doctors," their carts decorated with exaggerated illustrations of diseases and accidents, remedies for which were vociferously lauded and offered for sale. On either side pawnshops and restaurants ; at the doors of the latter customers gambling whether they should pay double or quits for refreshments or foods served to them. In vain we looked for representatives of Tartar troops, who were said to form the ordinary garrison force of Tientsin. We learned that, for the period of occupation by the foreigners, steps had been taken " to keep them out of sight." A series of rides into the country in the vicinity of the city presented a great variety of interesting objects and incidents. On the left bank of the Peiho, a short distance down the course of that river, numerous large stacks of table salt attracted attention, as similar stacks on the same spot did that of Lord Macartney's mission nearly seventy years before. The arrival of the first trading ship under the recent treaty was an event not without interest ; it was a small schooner, the pro- perty of a very eminent firm ^ at Hong-Kong, and as it immediately became ice-bound, it was to be a familiar object to us throughout the succeeding winter. Although so recently at war with the Chinese, we from the first walked or rode into the country without molestation, re- ceiving invitations by signs to enter houses and huts that lay in our way ; tea and cakes of various kinds being invariably pressed upon us on such occasions. In certain directions it seemed as if there was one continuous burial ground ; coffins in all stages of decay strewed the sur- face ; at intervals bodies of children sewn up in mats were seen, while ' Messrs. Dent, -6i] Tientsin 1 79 on one occasion we saw the revolting spectacle of a dog in the act of carrying away the dead body of an infant. In every village there were great numbers of dogs, fierce towards us foreigners ; some by no means unlike " collies," others terriers, of which a very handsome variety obtains its special title from Shantung, to which district it more especially pertains. There were also the mandarin or "sleeve dogs," so named from the fact that as pets the smaller varieties are carried in the wide sleeves of the outer garments worn by the wealthy classes. There was the Canton or " chow-chow " dog, a large animal with a very thick coating of hair, the tail curling from its root ; the head triangular, broad at the base, rapidly tapering to the muzzle ; the eyes far forward, as if looking upward, something like those of the lemur. Pet birds were kept by many people, songsters being the greatest favourites. Of those observed were a large species of skylark, canaries, thrushes, linnets, a species here called the wamee, like the Shamah ^ of India. It became an object of interest to note the progress of agriculture, and the phenomena of nature generally, from the first opening of mild weather, onwards till autumn. On the ist of March wheat sowing began, the fields having been prepared during the previous few days for that operation ; five days thereafter — namely, on the 6th — the first indication was evident that buds were about to open, a species of poplar being the tree to take the lead in this respect. The operation of ploughing the fields then began ; the implement used was of light construction, drawn by one man, while another guided it. Fields then began to be cleaned, manure to be spread, seed of various kinds for grain and vegetables sown, preparations for irrigation carried out ; and as the surface ground thawed, and so became the more easily dealt with, ploughs of heavier kinds were used, mules, bullocks, and men promiscuously used and yoked together in draught. In other places women and girls were employed in field work. By the isth signs of verdure began to show themselves near the irrigation canals, partly in the first leaf of autumn-sown wheat, partly of some culinary vegetable. On the 20th, wheat sown on the ist had " shot," and was in tolerable leaf; after this its progress was rapid, for by the gth of June the fact was noted that " some fields of wheat were turning yellow the crop nearly ready to be cut " ; pease, full in the pod. At the distance of about four miles from Tientsin, on the left bank of the Peiho, we came upon a series of buildings, the purpose of which the storage of grain against famine. Sixteen such buildings, arranged 1 Cofsychtts saularis. i8o Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 in two rows of eight, constitute the group devoted to that purpose ; each building some 300 feet in length, 45 to 50 in breadth, its walls 30 in height, the whole raised on a plinth from the ground. By Imperial edict cultivators are obliged to deposit in these and feindred stores elsewhere a certain proportion of grain every year : an arrangement whicli has come down from ancient times, and on that account is now mentioned. Very rapid was the increase of winter cold to its point of culmina- tion. Situated in the latitude of Lisbon, the temperature of 5'5°F. during the night preceding the shortest day was to us a new and un- looked-for experience, yet next day active outdoor exercise was in- dulged in ; the sensations soon ceased to indicate the actual degree of cold prevailing. Already the Peiho was closed in by ice, boats had given place to sledges, and they, pjished on by means of poles, were used in great numbers for transport of merchandise. A detachment of troops had just arrived by White Star at Taku. The officer in com- mand landed with his men, his intention being to make arrangements for their march from that place, and then return to the ship for his wife. But meanwhile ice had formed so rapidly on the shallow bay that com- munication between the vessel and shore was impossible, the result that the White Star had to return to Hong-Kong, nor did the officer ^ • alluded to see his wife or kit until next spring had well advanced. Ac- cording to the Royal Chinese Almanack, published at Pekin, the winter season is divided into nine periods of nine days each. The first begins on December 20, the third on January 8, it ends on 17th of that month, and is considered to be that of the greatest cold ; the last of the series is considered to end on March 2. Communication with ships in the northern part of the Gulf of Pe chili being cut off, letters had to be dispatched by land to Chefoo, two hundred miles to the southward, there to be put on board. Now a cold north wind set in ; the temperature in our rooms sank at night to 3°F. As we awoke in the morning small icicles clung to mous- taches, and during the day the sensation of cold became unpleasant. In the provision shops, fish and game frozen ; some of the latter, especi- ally deer, in artistic or picturesque attitudes, were exposed for sale. Men were engaged in cutting blocks of ice from that which covered the river, to be kept in pits and ice-houses for use during the heat of next summer. Through the openings so made small nets were let down for the capture of fish that happened to resort to those air-holes. Within our quarters water for cooking purposes and for the morning bath had to be obtained by breaking blocks of ice and placing the fragments to ' Colonel Muter. -6i] Tientsin i8i be liquefied in a vessel on the fire. Out of doors the unusual sight might be witnessed of soldiers carrying in sacks on their backs the blocks of ice into which the daily allowance of beer or porter had been congealed. As winter advanced sensation of cold naturally enough increased ; northerly winds came over the long tract of flat country, several, degrees in extent, that lay between us and Mongolia; Now it was that in our quarters we utilised the Chinese heated platform as a bed, to which is' given the name of kang, not only for sleeping thereon, but for sitting or reclining during, the day. Fireplaces according to advanced Western principles had been constructed, under the superintendence of the Royal Engineers ; in them was burnt a liberal allowance of' fuel, con- sisting of Manchurian coal and Pe chili mud in about equal propor- tions ; but, as expressed by our Chinese servants, the arrangement was more calculated to carry the warmth clean away up the chimney than to diffuse it in our apartments. On February 19 there were signs that the intensity of winter was about to cease ; the mid-day sunshine had in it some genial warmth ; intensely cold winds that had for some time prevailed now did so no longer ; the haze in which city and district had been concealed was to some extent gone, and yet the reading of the thermometer was a minimum at night of 8° F., at nine a.m. i9'8° F. Snow that had shortly before fallen began to melt as day advanced, and the thick coating of ice on the Peiho became wet and sloppy. The few succeeding days, increasingly mild and genial, well illustrated the regularity and rapidity with which seasonal changes here take place. On March 3 winter was considered to be ended, spring to have began according to the Chinese estimate already mentioned, though at night the thermometer indicated 30° F., and at nine a.m. 33° F., snow meanwhile falling . gently. On sth of that month a state of great electric tension in air was in- dicated by our registers. As in India, that condition heralded change in weather, its seasonal recurrence so regular that it is reckoned on to a day. The crews of a Russian gunboat and of an EngUsh schooner, frozen up through the winter, at once began the work of prepara- tion for sea. On the nth the ice suddenly broke up ; in massive blocks grating against and rolling over each other, it floated along the stream. Next day, bridges of boats were re-established, ordinary traific by boat re- sumed ; within a few hours all traces of ice had disappeared. On the 14th the gunboat Brake arrived from Taku,^bringing for us thirteen weeks' letters from home, none having been received while cut off" from the world as we had been for so long. Orders were at the same time re- ceived directing Mr, Bruce to proceed to Pekin, and our force to remain 1 82 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 at Tientsin, pending the manner of reception given to His Excellency at the Imperial capital. By April 6 the temperature rendered the exer- cise of walking unpleasant. By the middle of June, in the absence of tatties and other Indian appliances, resource was had to large blocks of ice supported over a tub in our apartments ; close to and half embrac- ing these we sat, in the airiest of costume, in our endeavours to keep ourselves cool under the circumstances. Everywhere in and around the city, steps were taken to maintain due observance of respect towards buildings dedicated to purposes of " religion " or philosophy. In the early days of occupation, some of the Asiatics with us treated a few of those buildings in a manner that they would have violently resented if directed against their own in India ; but the employment of stringent measures put an end to such demon- strations. In one of those temples, namely that dedicated to " Oceanic Influences," at a short distance beyond the city walls, the Treaty of Tientsin of 1859 was signed, the ratification of that deed being the actual cause of the present war. Invited to a Chinese hunting and hawking party, the " meet " to take place at a distance of a few miles from the city, we proceeded to the appointed rendezvous under guidance of men sent for the purpose by our hosts. In early morning of a bitterly cold day in January we started, our steeds, shaggy, unkempt-looking Tartar ponies. Arrived at the ap- pointed ground, several falconers, all on foot, each bearing on his wrist a peregrine, hooded, awaited us; the hounds of the kind known in India as the rampore, all under charge of a mounted whipper-in. All around us a dead flat plain extended, to all appearance interminably, all crops re- moved, the surface frozen hard, but without snow. Soon the pack was scouring the plain in full chase of an unfortunate hare, the hounds being slipped as the quarry started ; the falcons, unhooded, take wing. Away went our ponies at full speed, their pace a run, not a gallop. First one falcon and then another swooped down upon and rolled over the hunted animal ; the dogs fast gain upon her ; she disappears, for in this forestless region holes in the earth and burrows are so taken advantage of by ground game. A huntsman bares his arm; he reaches into one such open- ing ; the hare is drawn out, crying in its terror like a child ; it is dispatched by a blow on the nape. This we are told is " sport." To some of us it would be more appropriately called barbarous and unmanly cruelty. Further details of what proved to be " a successful day " need not be related. New Year's Eve,* according to the Chinese Calendar, was celebrated • On February 9. -6i] Tientsin 183 by the discharge of thousands of crackers and other fireworks, that being their manner of announcing to the world that the ceremony of propitiat- ing their household gods had begun; the object in view, absolution for equivocal acts committed during the past twelve months. For several previous days the city was en fete ; establishments closed ; caricatures dis- tributed as so many valentines ; visits of friendship and of ceremony exchanged; family and other misunderstandings arranged ; much feasting and carousing indulged in ; houses swept and garnished in token that all things unpleasant, whether physical or ethical, had been cast out. The fronts of houses were decorated with strips of vermilion-coloured paper containing expressions of good-will and congratulation ; ornamental lanterns were everywhere on sale, for purpos'es of illuminations, their shapes various and often grotesque, as fishes, frogs, dragons, and mon- sters of various forms. Buddhist temples had on their altars a series of gigantic candles, all " dyed red," bearing designs of dragons and other mythical creatures, before which people knelt with every appearance of devotion. It became a source of interest to a few of us to visit places and in- stitutions of purely Chinese origin or character. Of such places, a public bathing establishment was one, the interior well lighted, spacious, per- vaded by steam from water heated by a furnace, the fuel of which consisted of reeds and straw. A series of troughs, and at one end a plunge bath, were being used by considerable numbers of men at a time, the charge for each being about a farthing. Here then were public baths existing as a Chinese institution, though even yet their introduction generally into England remains rather in the initiative than accomplished stage. Very different in kind was an ice pit, otherwise a large underground room, one part of which was devoted to the preservation of that sub- stance, another having a series of shelves crowded with vegetables and fruit of different kinds. As we descend into that pit, the sensation we experienced was that of comparative warmth, so bitterly cold had the wind outside become. The Chinese Foundling Hospital, situated in the suburbs of the city, was a large and substantial building ; its chief ornament a tablet, the characters on which intimated that the door over which it was placed was the entrance to " The Hall for Cherishing Children." At the time of our visit the institution contained eighty foundlings ; to each of those still in infancy was assigned a wet nurse. One portion of the establish- ment was occupied by children, and some grown-up persons affected with various infirmities, as the blind, the deaf, and the idiotic, together with their respective attendants. Being invited by the superintendent 184 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [iseo to visit his own quarters, a tablet over the entrance door thereto displayed the characters, " We beseech thee to rescue the naked " ; on the walls of the reception hall a series of tablets with names of patrons and donors of considerable sums ; others with items of regulations relating to the administration of the institution. The children, if in good health, are disposed of at fourteen years of age — some adopted, some become ser- vants, others apprenticed to trades. To the girls who marry, a dowry of the equivalent value of ;^s is given. At the end of March a visit by the Roman Catholic bishop of Pekin gave us the opportunity of hearing from himself his strange story. In 1834 the cathedral erected in Pekin by the Jesuits in the seventeenth century was closed during an outbreak of the populace against that mission, several of its members put to death, others " disappearing," to be no more heard of. Among the latter was for many years the bishop. Taken from the power of the rioters by some of the Catholic converts, he was concealed by them in the capital, and protected for the long period of twenty-seven years, he meanwhile carrying on his special work among them. The arrival at Pekin of the allied army was quickly followed by the re-opening of the cathedral and celebration of Grand Mass therein. On that occasion, as the procession of priests attached to the forces, and their acolytes, advanced toward the altar, the bishop, wearing ordinary Chinese costume, emerged from the throng, and took his place at its head. The Emperor of the French being made acquainted with the story, desired to see the bishop at the Tuileries to hear it from himself. While on his way through Tientsin the bishop remained with us several days. To inquiries on the subject, he remarked that \i\% first endeavour with the Chinese was to teach them the practical results of Christianity, rather than inculcate doctrines, the significance of which were beyond their train of thought. As early as practicable, measures were taken to establish a charitable hospital for the sick poor of Tientsin. For that purpose ;^ioo was given by Admiral Sir James Hope, and subscriptions established among the officers of the force ; applications to the rich natives being unpro- ductive. At last, a building capable of accommodating twenty patients was engaged and fitted up for its purpose; professional work being undertaken by Dr. Lamprey, 67 th Regiment. Under him its reputation rapidly spread, so much so that applications for admission exceeded our means of reception. In those days the use of chloroform was still in its infancy ; very wonderful in the idea of the patients did its effect appear, exceeding, as they expressed themselves, " the power of the Dragon." The majority, however, looked upon the drug with suspicion, preferring to undergo operations-reven of great severity — without it or any other -6i] Tientsin 185 anaesthetic. Their apparent indifference to pain under such circum- stance was to us subject of amazement. Duties connected with this hospital gave me an opportunity of seeing the contracted foot, otherwise "golden lily," of a Chinese woman. The foot l^had been deformed by the method of cramping usually followed for that purpose ; the four smaller toes pressed under the sole, the natural arch raised to an altogether abnormal degree, the points of support limited to the heel and tip of the great-toe. The process of contraction takes place in early youth ; it is conducted by means of bandages " artistically " applied, and is said to be painless. The aspect of the foot is thus made hideous, while the natural contour of the calf being destroyed, the appearance of the limb below the knee is — to Western eyes — ungraceful. Neither by word or manner was the slightest gratitude expressed for benefits thus conferred upon them. But in one respect their de- meanour drew from us a measure of appreciation ; namely, in the care and assistance shown to each other by male patients. Contrasted there- with,, however, their want of "thoughtful care for sick women was no less remarkable ; the more suitable of the two wards having been given up to the latter, the arrangement was protested against in no " gallant " . terms by the men. For a short time an idea seemed to prevail that an object with which the hospital was set on foot was, that in it attempts would be made upon sick inmates to press upon them what they called " the Western philosophy." Their minds , were set" at rest on this point; but among the patients there was a Christian convert, around whom other inmates in increasing numbers came to listen, while he read and expounded from a Chinese version of the Scriptures of which he was the possessor. In our regular military hospital were several Tartar soldiers, some of them severely wounded, who had been picked up on the field of battle by our establishments, and now treated like our own men. In due time they recovered from their injuries as far as art could effect their restora- tion ; they came to appreciate the comforts of their position so much that among their numbers no anxiety was expressed to be discharged. Application was made to the Chinese local authorities to receive them. The reply by them was to the effect that " the men having fallen in battle, they were officially dead ; there being no precedent of dead men coming to life again, they could in no way recognise or acknowledge them." A liberal sum of money was subscribed by us for them ; it was distributed among them ; they were then, with military for- malities, handed over to the local authorities, to be by them sent 1 86 , Thirty-nine Years in the Army [i860 on to the care of the British Representative at Pekin. Before being so disposed of, they were seen by the bishop already mentioned. To his question, " What do you now think of the Barbarian doctors ? " the answer given by one was that he could no longer fight as an infantry soldier, but he might do so as a cavalryman; by a second, that "he had been left upon the field dead, his wife a widow, his children orphans. By the care shown to him, he had been lifted up from death, fitted to return to and work for those dependent upon him ; nor had he breath in his chest sufficient to express his gratitude for it all." Among the inmates of the hospitals pertaining to our force were some of the Sikhs who, during the advance of the army on Pekin, had the misfortune to be taken prisoners, and subsequently subjected to cruelties as already mentioned. Their wrists bore large cicatrices, marking the position of the cords with which they had been so tightly bound that ulcers in which maggots crawled were results, the agony so great that several of their companions in misery had become delirious, and died under it. On September 18, a party of eighteen, including an officer, all of Fane's Horse, were taken prisoners ; of them the officer and eight sowars succumbed under the atrocious cruelties to which they were subjected, the remaining nine being now in hospital.^ But it would serve no good purpose to give particulars in regard to these sad occurrences. Our French allies sufifered in health during the period of greatest cold to an extent even greater than did our own men, the circumstance being readily accounted for by the fact that the former were insuffici- ently provided with warm clothing ; indeed, many of them were dressed as when on board the transport ship in which several months previous they had been brought, via the Red Sea, to China. Whereas with us, every honour was shown at the burial of such soldiers as succumbed to the circumstances of our position, no such formality was seen by any of us in the quarter occupied by the French ; but as day by day the black wooden crosses increased in number in their cemetery, these silent tokens told that they too had the hand of death among them. A temple had been converted by the French into a military hospital ; the sick accommodated therein well cared for, its administration altogether under the Intendance, the duties of medical officers limited to pro- fessional attendance on the patients. Among the latter was a soldier who bore marks precisely like those of our own men already alluded to as having been made prisoners and tortured, he having been of their party. ' Details are given in my book China from a Medical Point of View, p. 437. -6i] Tientsin 187 While the winter cold was most intense an epidemic of small-pox raged among the native Chinese, and to a less degree among both the British and French portions of our combined force. In the latter, General CoUineau, its commanding officer, was an early victim. As he expressed himself before he lost consciousness, it was hard that after having escaped the dangers of various campaigns, including thirty battles, he should come to Tientsin to die of such a disease. He entered the army as a private soldier, obtained each succeeding step for services in the field, culminating in that of general officer for the Italian campaign. Our British soldiers suffered severely in health, and, what was re- markable, to a greater extent than did the Sikhs, although the latter paid less attention to warm clothing and care of their persons in other respects than the British soldier. Our officers were affected variously ; the younger, and those who had not undergone tropical service, enjoyed the cold weather immensely; but with those of us who had but recently undergone the wear and tear incidental to the Mutiny cam- paign, things were very different, the severity of the winter cold in- ducing among us serious illness. 1 88 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [iser CHAPTER XXII l86l. TIENTSIN. CHEFOO. NAGASAKI. DEVONPORT Fraternity of beggars — Relief fund — A Buddhist nunnery — A Buddhist temple — Ancestral worship — A pantheistic mosque— A Chinese dinner — An opium den — A missionary plan — Postal arrangements — Remittances — Vegetation — Birds — Mr. Bruce proceeds to Pekin — Camp formed — The Spirit of Fire — French " ideas " — "Sheep grows its own wool" — Taipings — Sir John Mitchell — Sickness among troops — Emperor dies — Trip to Chefoo — Town and vicinity — Taoist temple — Resume duty — The force breaking up — Nagasaki — Places visited — Embark — Homeward bound — Aden — Cairo and Alexandria — Death of Prince Consort — Devonport. THE Fraternity of Beggars constitutes one of the institutions pecu- liar to Tientsin, the numbers of mendicants to be met with being very great indeed, comprising old and young, fat and lean, the healthy, the deformed, and the diseased. One particular class are to be seen almost devoid of clothing on the upper part of their persons, even in the coldest weather, when the thermometer ranges from zero to a few degrees above, the use of thick clothing and furs by most people considered indispensable ; yet that their health in no way suffered from such exposure was evident by their appearance. Another notable class represent to some degree the order Flagellants, their appeals for charity emphasized by a series of self-inflicted blows on their bodies by means of a piece of wood or a brick-bat. These several classes live in communities, one of which I visited. In a wretched hut, in coldest winter, destitute of fire, thirty-five men, all in a state of nudity, were huddled together, having a cubic space per head of 57 feet. The atmosphere was foul and offensive, the inmates for the most part strong, and to all appearance healthy. Here, as in China gener- ally, the rule that " once a beggar, always a beggar," has few, if indeed any, exceptions. An attempt was made to relieve some of the poverty and distress which were so prominently before our eyes. For this purpose a fund was established, a sum of eight hundred dollars being collected among the officers of the force ; the subject was brought to the notice of the i86i] Tientsin 189 Chinese officials and wealthier classes in the city, the result being that they not only refused to aid the work, but opposed it in various ways. Finally, notices were issued that the sum collected would be distributed at the house used as a " church " by our troops ; a guard of soldiers was mounted to preserve order, and at the hour appointed seven thousand applicants for relief had collected. Unhappily the crush speedily became greater than the guard was capable of resisting ; in the pressure of the crowd a number of persons, chiefly women and children, were trodden under foot, several crushed to death, and of those less severely injured fifteen were carried into hospital. As winter advanced, sickness among our troops increased to such a degree that various yamens or other buildings had in succession to be hired for that purpose. On such occasions, in addition to the officers specially concerned in making the selection, some representa- tive city (Chinese) officials, the whole party under the protection of our own military police, made an inspection of the buildings most suitable for our purpose, after which an application was duly made for the particular one fixed upon. On an occasion of this kind. Captain C. E. Gordon, R.E., who shortly afterwards was to become so promi- nent a character in Chinese, and subsequently in Egyptian, war-history, , formed, as usual, one of the party alluded to. In the course of our excursion we came to what from the outside appeared to be an eligible enclosure for our purpose. A series of loud knocks at the outer door brought to it a neatly attired and rather good-looking hoy, as we at first supposed, whose manner of receiving us was the very reverse of polite. He was quickly brushed aside; our party was in act of entering, when our Chinese escort intimated the fact — up till that moment unexpressed — that we were forcing our way into a Buddhist nunnery, against the expressed objection of a nun. Our regret was real ; explanations were exchanged ; we were informed that the community within adopted male costume as an indication that they not only renounced the world, but with it the emblems of their sex. We were "received" by the Lady Superior, tea and cakes offered to and partaken of by us ; we were then permitted to visit the " private chapel," and finally we parted from the religieuses on the best of terms. Needless to say, their establishment from that time forward was by us held sacred. A visit was made to " The Temple of Future Punishments." That temple comprises a series of buildings, the entrance to the general enclosure in which they are situated having on either side a stone figure of a dog, probably the Buddhistic ideal Cerberus. Within the several buildings well-executed ^ix^ figures represented the subjects of departed 190 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isei spirits, undergoing all the forms and degrees of punishment to which evil Buddhists were condemned, the whole reminding us, on the one hand, of those described in " The Vision of Meerza," and, on the other, of illustrations contained in at least one publication by the Roman Catholic Church. Among the various forms of punishment so illustrated was that of crucifixion; another illustration included the humpless bullock, as if relating to the worship of Isis and Osiris ; a third presented the rites of the Indian Chukkur Poojah, and so on. On visiting an old Buddhist temple on the left bank of the Peiho, our reception by the priests belonging to it was most friendly and hospitable. On the principal shrine were the orthodox representations of "the three Buddhas," — namely, past, present, and to come. In other portions of the same sacred edifice were figures, doubtless of saints ; before each a joss stick smouldered, while our venerable enter- tainers talked and smiled, even in presence of their gods. This portion of our visit over, we were invited by the priest to enter the house of one of the brethren. Having done so, tea in small cups, and cakes, steamed instead of baked, were served to us. Arrived at a dwelling-house, in which various members of the family were engaged in the ceremonies connected with ancestral worship, we were permitted to be spectators of that ritual. A small shrine, erected for the occasion, had upon it two figures, probably Confucian, for they were without any characteristics of Buddhism. It was further decorated with flags and other ornaments. Offerings of apples were arranged upon the shrine ; a vessel containing joss sticks, otherwise incense rods, one of which was taken by each worshipper in his turn and lighted ; there were also piles of tinsel paper, from which pieces were successively taken and set on fire, the belief of the worshippers, all of whom were grave and orderly in demeanour, that messages were by that means conveyed to their departed relatives. But there were no women pre- sent at the ceremony. On either side of an enclosed passage, com- municating with the ancestral hall, a series of tablets, roughly estimated at two hundred, were arranged, the impression conveyed to us being that each ancestor has his particular day on which his worship is celebrated. We were at first unprepared, on visiting a principal mosque, to learn that several others of less magnitude existed for the considerable Mahomedan population in the city. The mosque alluded to was to a great extent Chinese in external style, but within had all the usual characteristics of such edifices ; superadded to these, however, there was, on the middle of the floor, a tablet of Confucius, around which was entwined in bold relief the Taoist dragon ! The moolahs were Chinese i86i] Tientsin 1 9 1 in feature and costume, and wore the Mongolian queue or pigtail. As we entered we found them deeply engaged in the study of the Koran, written in Arabic, which language they spoke fluently. Having had the honour of being invited to dinner by a Chinese gentleman, the occasion was taken advantage of to observe the phase of native life so presented. As guest of the evening, I was received with much ceremony by Chang, for such was the name of the host ; there was much bowing, " chin-chin "-ing, and hand-shaking, each person for himself shaking his own hands as he held them clasped upon his breast. Then followed a respectful inquiry as to my honourable years, — otherwise, how old I was, — and it by a desire to be informed as to how many children had the honour to call me father, a bow and expressive gesture indicating that sons only were to be counted in the enumera- tion. All this took place in an outer apartment ; the party was then invited to proceed to the dining-hall, separated from that in which we at first stood by a series of apartments, all handsomely furnished and ornamented. In each corner of these rooms stood an ornamental lantern, having in it a red-coloured taper, in token of rejoicing ; on the wall directly facing the door, a tablet upon which, in Chinese characters, was the moral maxim, "Not to covet is a virtue," other- wise a compressed epitome of the tenth commandment. In the dining-room we took the chairs assigned to us. On the table, arranged with much taste, were dishes containing fruit, fresh and preserved; a dish on which were some neatly cut slices of what looked like ham; on another a pyramid of eggs that had been first boiled hard, then permitted to remain buried in the ground for a year. These delicacies partaken of (and the eggs referred to were by no means nasty), our host filled the tiny cup at the side of each guest with hot sham-shu, — i.e., a spirit distilled from millet, — bowed to each of us in succession, and returned to his seat. The course which followed was mainly composed of the root of water lily {Nelumbum) ; it again by one of sharks' fins; then olives preserved in syrup, or perhaps rather jujubes ; ^ more fruits of sorts, variously preserved ; sea- weed, sea-slugs*, and other delicacies. Although chop-sticks were arranged for each of us, knives, forks, and spoons — all of silver, but the last-named of Chinese pattern — were also placed for our use. Several courses of this kind having succeeded each other, the more material part of the banquet was introduced, in the shape of portions of fowl and' duck, served i la Eusse ; then a repetition of preserves as before ; winding up with a portion of rice — the sign that dinner was over. ' Zysiphus jujuba. ^ Holotht^ria. 192 Thirty-nine Years in the Army L1861 Dessert was laid in another room ; thither we repaired, and with toasts, talk, and a good deal of festivity the evening passed away. A visit to an " opium den," and inquiries to which that visit led, induced me to make, at the time, an entry in my diary thus : "I have witnessed much wretchedness and want among the victims of this vice (namely, opium-smoking) ; but neither in a greater degree nor among so large a proportion of the people as are debased in the United King- dom through the evil consequences of indulgence in spirits." The institution of such establishments was at the time looked upon as among the first fruits arising from the treaty, in accordance with which Tientsin, as a port, has been opened to foreign shipping. The visit alluded to was made in company with an American missionary.^ His plan for obtaining influence over the frequenters of such places was to point out to them the evils present and prospective of the vice in which they were indulging, and so endeavour to wean them from it. By seeking for, and assisting in various ways, outcasts and the neglected, — by reconciling, when possible, those between whom misunderstandings had arisen, and in other kindred methods of pro- ceeding, rather than in direct attempts at religious conversion, he had succeeded in making for himself a sphere of great usefulness and influence. The postal arrangements in connection with our portion of the force were so imperfect that only by means of Chinese messengers employed at high rates of pay, which had to be made up at our individual cost, our letters were conveyed to Chefoo, to be put on board a steamer. The French, on the other hand, had with them two ofiicers from the Post Office in Paris, under them a party of sailors, for the purpose, without expense to individuals, of keeping up postal com- munication between Tientsin and the same port. With regard also to the transmission of family remittances, a similar contrast existed ; it was impossible for us to send such remittances otherwise than through a bank or mercantile house in Hong-Kong, at the same time that the greatest difficulty and inconvenience existed in sending money to that island. The French, on the contrary, have with them special ofiicers sent from the Paris Treasury for the purpose of transacting business of this kind. If, therefore, our arrangements are in most respects superior to those of our allies, these are ex- amples of the few in reference to which we are comparatively at a disadvantage. In the early days of April a great advance was apparent in the aspect of vegetation ; long red catkins of poplar trees hung pendulous ' Mr. Blodgett. i86i] Tientsin 193 to a length of several inches ; plants, numerous in their variety, rapidly came into blossom, many being species familiar to us in England, the progress made by all of them astonishing. Vines that had been buried deep in long trenches, and so protected against the cold of winter, were disinterred, laid along the surface of the ground as if to dry, then secured upon trellis-work erected for the purpose, after which the succession of bud, leaf, flower, and fruit was very rapid. In the near vicinity of irrigation canals, peach trees presented lovely displays of pink blossom ; at intervals the " white cloud " of cherry flowers gave contrast to the whole. From this point onwards interest increased in observing the suc- cessive aspects of Nature. On March 17 temperatiire was sufficiently mild to bring into activity a few winged insects ; a perceptible change in the aspect of the fields was apparent ; tender shoots of green cereal leaves were rising from the ground, and tree buds began to manifest coming activity. Migratory birds were now in flight northward in their course, wild swans being the first to start on such a journey, and to suffer at the hands of the snarer. Early in April the swallow,^ so well known in England, made its appearance; and thenceforward, with White's " Selborne " in hand, note was taken of the order in which various species made their appearance— ^n order which coincided to a remarkable degree with what happens at home. The departure of Mr. Bruce ^ to take up his position as British Representative at Pekin marked the opening of a new era in the rela- tions between our own and the Imperial Governments. The Emperor^ was still at Jehol, whither he had fled on the approach to his capital of the alUed army ; it was known that his chief adviser, the Prince Tsai, was inimical to foreigners ; that the details of government were con- ducted by Prince Kung in conjunction with the Manchu Prince Wan siang; moreover, that the Taiping rebels were carrying their conquest rapidly northward, and so threatening the existence of the reigning dynasty ; hence it was that our force was held ready prepared for eventualities. Happily the reception accorded to the British Minister, if not all that could be desired, was not of a kind to call for actual protest. By way of occupation to our soldiers a camp was pitched and temporarily occupied by them at a little distance from the city; parades and drills became frequent, the general routine of duty much like that in an English garrison. Men who had suffered in health during the winter, and those time expired, were got ready for dispatch ' 9th. Cypsilis affinis. ^ On March 22, 1 86 1. * Hienfung. O 194 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isei homewards, being conveyed by military train waggons to Taku, and thence by steamer to Hong-Kong en route. Of time-expired men the greater number were in the best of health and vigour, inured to military life, and in all respects desirable as soldiers, so that their departure was a serious loss to the efficiency of our force. With a view to facilitate access to the recently established camp, the somewhat forcible measure was taken of cutting through the city wall. That an objection should be raised by the citizens was a matter of course ; a deputation accordingly waited upon our Brigadier to protest against the dilapidation, the reason assigned by them being that " the Spirit of Fire " enters from the south, and danger to the city was thus to be apprehended. Intercommunication between the French and British officers was friendly, if not exactly intimate, the former being invited to entertain- ments of different kinds given by the latter. On one such occasion conversation turned upon the nature of the influence being exerted upon the Chinese mind by our presence respectively : " Yes," observed our neighbour, " we have a great mission to perform : you to benefit them by your commerce; we (the French) by our ideas!" One morning news reached us that a considerable portion of the French contingent had been dispatched for service in Saigon. On the subject of commerce the Chinese had already their own views in relation to the indemnity to be paid to " the Barbarian." Double import duty was imposed on all foreign goods landed at the port ; one moiety to be paid before leaving the ship, the other prior to actual landing. By this simple method, according to the expression used, "the sheep would grow its own wool." Not that the price to the Chinese receiver would increase ; the dues must fall upon the exporter. Meanwhile the Taipings were steadily advancing in their progress of devastation and murder ; the atrocities reported as committed by them horrible in their details. Towards the end of April, Admiral Hope and Brigadier Staveley proceeded to Pekin, at the request of Prince Kung, who desired to consult with them relative to a plan initiated by him- self, of dispatching a body of British troops to aid the Imperial forces against the rebels in question. The circumstance sufficed to put all concerned on the qui vive; our field arrangements were overhauled and seen to ; all preparations made for contingencies. Shortly after- wards news spread that a considerable body of Tartar cavalry had been sent from Tientsin against them ; that the British were to be withdrawn from Canton, and thus a force 2,000 strong left available for service against the rebels. Our Ambassador, finding it well to consult personally the general i86i] Tientsin 195 officer commanding the troops in China respecting the somewhat important question at this juncture, of retaining our force intact or diminishing it, that officer was summoned to the capital. It was while he was en route towards Pekin that I had the pleasure of making his acquaintance, and of adverting to an incident already mentioned with reference to the battle of Maharajpore. In the interval of seventeen years which has meanwhile elapsed, Captain Mitchell, of the 6th Foot, had become Major-General Sir John Mitchell, K.C.B. I asked him whether he had ever received the watch sent to him from the field by request of General Churchill. He seemed surprised to learn that I had been the sender ; and taking it from his watch-pocket exclaimed, as he showed it to me: "There it is^ and it goes as well as ever." The expletives which accompanied the action are here omitted. ^ As in the severity of winter the health of the troops suffered greatly, so it did, though in a different way, when late in July and early in August summer heat was at its highest. During the latter period heat apoplexy, cholera, and a very virulent form of small-pox prevailed to such an extent and with such mortality that a veritable panic spread among them. Fortunately these terrible maladies con- tinued but for a short time, a change to temperate in the state of the atmosphere seeming to put a sudden and complete check to them. While they continued they affected only the foreigner ; the Chinese enjoyed their ordinary health ; but they deviated altogether from the method, so general in India, of protecting their heads from the heat of the sun by means of thick turbans ; on the contrary, they freely ex- posed themselves to the fiercest sun with no covering whatever on their shaven heads. According to them, the cause of this sudden outbreak of illness was the comet. An immense and brilliant comet had shortly previous appeared in the heavens — a strikingly grand object to gaze at, and wonder ; but in the eyes of many a portent of evil. Various rumours circulated with reference to the state of health of the Emperor : that he was ill ; that he was in perfect health ; that he was dead ; that he had been murdered ; that he was neither, and so on. After a time authentic news of his death was received ; that, as expressed by the Chinese, "he had ascended upon the dragon to be a guest on high" ; that his son Chesiang had been named as his successor, under the name or title of Tung-che, or "Felicitous omen," otherwise "Union of law and order" ; that a Board of Regency had been appointed for the conduct of govern- ment; that its chief members, including the Empress-Dowager, were persons of anti-foreign proclivities, the Prince Kung retaining his position as a kind of Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. At the date of his 196 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1861 accession the young Emperor was no more than eight years of age ; but a truly Chinese method of adding to them was adopted : his Council bestowed upon him three years — namely, one from heaven, one from earth, and one from themselves ; his age, moreover, was calculated as having been nine months at the date of his birth. A trip to Chefoo having been arranged, in company with our Briga- dier-General, Sir Charles Staveley, I proceeded by H.M. gunboat Woodcock to Taku ; thence by H.M.S. Simoom. Like many others at Tientsin we had suffered considerably in health, first from the great cold of winter, then from the no less trying heat of summer, with the outbreak of epidemic disease already mentioned. Soon, however, the open sea, with its clear air, added to complete relief from official responsibilities and duties, had an effect for good upon us. But we were not a little surprised to observe that while those actually ill among the ship's company amounted to the large proportion of ig per cent., those who remained " efficient " were pale and sickly, a circumstance attributed by their officers to -their exposure to land-winds, while cruis- ing or at anchor in the Gulf of Pe chili. Arrived at Chefoo, we landed by a roughly-built jetty, on which in large letters was painted the word Odins, thus indicating the crew by whom the work had recently been effected. We were hospitably received by Mr. Morrison, the Consul, son of the eminent Chinese scholar. He having provided us with horses, we were speedily away, enjoying a ride through a tract of country remarkable for its loveliness ; the open spaces covered with brilliant flowers, while along each side of narrow thoroughfares fruit trees at short intervals afforded us the treat of being able to stand up in our stirrups and pluck ripening pears as we proceeded. A second ride took us to the highest point of a range of low hills that separates the town from the inland districts. Thence we looked down upon a richly cultivated valley, along which ran a stream of considerable size, itself dotted with clumps of wood, in which were seen villages and isolated houses of agriculturists ; the sides of the valley formed for the most part of gneiss-like hills, torn at intervals into deep and rugged ravines. In the distance inland the view was bounded by a serrated line of mountain peaks. A visit to a Taoist temple was an interesting episode in an otherwise enjoyable excursion. The priest, apparently over seventy years of age, received us graciously ; he " chin-chinned," shook hands — with him- self, after the national custom ; felt our arms, our legs, our feet ; examined our saddles, girths, and bridles ; inquired our several ages, proffered us glasses of water, patted the necks of our steeds ; as we rode away, chin- chinned and shook hands with himself as on our arrival. His temple. i86i] Nagasaki 197 situated on the summit of a small hill, was erected in honour of the North star. Near it stood two marble monuments in memory of ladies who, though left widows while yet young, refused to re-marry; at a little distance was a graveyard, the headstones in which were by no means very different in style from what may be seen at home. The faces of adjoining hills present a succession of terraces bearing abundant crops, and watered by levadas, as may be seen on the island of Madeira. A few days most pleasantly spent, and with health considerably im- proved, we proceeded on our return journey; first by the French steamer Feilung, or Flying Dragon, to the mouth of the Peiho, thence by the French gunboat PEtoile to Tientsin to resume official duties. Great was the pleasure with which, early in August, we received intimation that our " army of occupation " was to be gradually broken up, the regiments and batteries composing it to be disposed of between England, India, and the south of China ; great the satisfaction person- ally with which I received the welcome information that my connection therewith would cease. Towards the end of September embarkation began, detachments taken on board flats, and these towed down the river by gunboats, each party while marching from barracks being escorted by a band, to the strains of which — " Auld Lang Syne" and " The Old Folks at Home '' — they went cheerily on board, and away from what to most of us had been a station devoid of attraction. In this way did the second 60th embark for England, having during its ten years of foreign service buried 300 of its members, 94 of whom in China during the past eighteen months. This is but an example of what " service " meant in the days referred to. Next came my own turn to embark. Gladly did I proceed by H.M. gunboat Slaney to the Vulcan at anchor off Taku, embarking Indian troops. Captain Strode, in command, having received orders to pro- ceed in the first instance to Nagasaki, an unexpected opportunity thus offered of seeing that port and city in Japan. The arm of the sea by which the harbour is approached extends inland to a distance of six miles, with a breadth of nearly two. On either side rises a range of hills interrupted by valleys, the whole covered with rich forest, or with cultivated fields, a succession of batteries being so placed as to com- mand the channel. To the south of us rose the island of Pappenberg; the cliffs, 800 to 900 feet in height, are those over which, a.d. 1622, the Roman Catholic "Christians" were hurled. We next arrived at Desima, now grown into a large town, but to which locality in former times the Dutch traders were confined by gates and narrow ways, though now containing various houses built and in course of erection according to European models. 198 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1861 Among the places visited was the steam factory. There, under the direction of Dutch engineers, Japanese workmen were actively em- ployed in the manufacture of machinery. In an adjoining dock a small steamer was having placed in her engines, that had been thus made and turned out ; while in the harbour lay moored a steamer, the Scotland, manned entirely by Japanese officers and sailors. The town of Nagasaki was clean and tidy ; very different in these respects from that whence we had arrived. There appeared to be at least some agreeable aspects of domestic life, inasmuch as men and women were seen partaking of their meals together ; the people were polite and civil to us foreigners, and to myself, personally, the proprietors of a shop which I entered to purchase various articles were so civil as to take me through several parts of their dwelling-house, then into a neatly arranged garden attached thereto, and in parting to beg my acceptance of a packet of their tea, I having presented to some of the younger members a few new silver coins, to be made by them into studs. All the while we were being carefully watched by officials, though we were ignorant of the fact. [How little at that time did we anticipate the amazing strides Japan was to take during the succeeding five-and-thirty years !] Arrived at Hong-Kong, my stay of a few days there was made the more pleasant by the receipt of orders to proceed to England by the first available opportunity, added to hospitable civility by friends whose acquaintance I had made while stationed there the previous year. Preparations for continuing my journey were speedily made; on Nov- ember 15 I was on board the P. and O. steamer Emeu, from over the stern of which, without a tinge of regret, I waved what I hoped, and proved to be a final adieu to China. Our journey was thence along the same track, but in a reverse direc- tion to that over which I had passed twenty months previous. Arrived at Galle, we had, as before, to tranship, this time to the Simla, by which we traversed the Indian Ocean. The season of the year per- mitting us to " explore " some of the sights of Aden, we took advantage of the opportunity afforded by the brief delay of our ship at the anchor- age. Driving through the narrow cut in the hard lava rock, — that had in distant time formed the wall of an active volcano, — we were at the cantonments, situated in the ancient crater ; thence to the reservoirs, originally erected in the face of perpendicular rock, their design and construction due to Persian engineers, dating from a.d. 600. Our drive was next through a narrow gorge, opening towards the south, admit- ting the only breeze that can directly reach cantonments. From its outer limit a view was obtained of the open sea, and of the small island upon which, according to Arab tradition, Cain was forced to reside i86i] Alexandria 199 after his murder of Abel. Continuing our excursion, we arrived at the fortification known as " The Turkish Wall," that protects and defends the isthmus connecting "the rock" with the mainland. The shops on the beach were visited, and purchases made at some of them ; among such purchases, ostrich feathers, here so common as to be used to decorate the heads of donkeys driven by Arab boys. The people met with comprised Parsees, Somalis, Jews, and Egyp- tians. The Jews and Egyptians said to be descendants of those who fled to Egypt on the invasion of Palestine and Egypt by Nebuchadnezzar ; ^ the Somalis supposed to be descended from former Abyssinian posses- sors of "Yemen," or that part of Arabia to which Aden belongs, or rather did belong. Other historical items relating to Aden include its early importance as an entrepot of commerce between the Roman Empire and the East ; in recent times the capture of the position by the British in January, 1839, it being the first military conquest effected in the reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. To most of us the news we received on arriving at Suez was a surprise; namely, that which speedily became known as the Trent affair. Some particulars reached us also regarding the action present and intended of the English Government and War OfSce, the immediate effect being to lead us to anticipate active service within a very short time. Here we were quickly landed, distributed in railway carriages, and so sent on to Cairo, at which place another brief detention awaited us. I accord- ingly reverted under the guidance of my former dragoman, Hadji Selim, to the excursions previously interrupted by my departure eastward; visiting, among other places of interest, the ancient Coptic Church, erected, according to tradition, upon the cave in which, during their ' flight into Egypt, Mary and the infant Saviour took shelter one night. Thence, continuing our railway journey, we reached Alexandria, arriving there in a storm of such violence that to embark was impos- sible; consequently another halt was unavoidable. I took advantage of the occasion, in defiance of wind and rain, to visit some of the places of historical interest pertaining to this very interesting city, including the site of the ancient Pharos, Pompey's Pillar, and " Cleopatra's " Needle,^ the latter prostrate in and almost covered by the sand ; also, what was indicated as " St. Mark's pulpit." Time did not admit of a visit to the ruined aqueduct, of which, however, we obtained a glance while Hearing the city. Here the unexpected news reached us that the Prince Consort had * Ezekiel xxvii. 23 ; xxix, 19. ^ The same that now stands on the Thames Embankment. 200 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isei succumbed to fever; that national sympathy was felt for the Queen under her bereavement, as well as sorrow and regret at the event, more particularly at a time when political matters throughout Europe, and in reference to America, were in a very disturbed condition. From Alexandria the journey was performed by the Ceylon, comfort- ably, and without adventure. At Malta we learned that the American Congress had expressed approval of the Southern minister being cap- tured on board a British steamer ; ^ that troops were being prepared in England for immediate embarkation ; that war appeared imminent and inevitable. On reaching Gibraltar we found in the bay the Mediter- ranean fleet, in which it was said all necessary preparations were being made for active service. Our entrance to the Bay of Biscay was duly announced by the ship's band with the well-known air so called. Warlike news greeted us on arrival at Southampton. Then followed, in quick succession, disembarkation, personal report at Headquarters, London, appointment to Devonport, and happy reunion to wife and children there. ' The Trent. i86a-64i Devonport 201 CHAPTER XXIII I862-I864. DEVONPORT. CALCUTTA Paris — Versailles — Champ de Mars — An incident — Rouen — Proceed to India — Calcutta — A milangi of subjects — Continued — A painful incident — State trial -T-Sea transport — General events — 43rd Regiment — More "news" — Scenes revisited — A rough journey — Hill coolies — Darjeeling — Sinchal — Nunsook — Rungeet — Pilgrims — Locusts — A happy event — Death of Lord Elgin — Agri- cultural Exhibition — Sittana — Spring sickness — Sanitary Commission formed — General news — Indigo — Cyclone — History of "Masterly inactivity." ADMINISTRATIVE duties in the Western Military District of . England, of which Devonport was, and still is, the Headquarters, were peaceful, and so contrasted with events during the past few years, as already recorded. In due time — the first for several years — I ap- plied for and obtained the usual two months' leave accorded annually to officers serving at home. With my wife I proceeded to Paris, where time passed agreeably and profitably in visiting places of historical, artistic, and scientific interest, and in exploring public buildings and monuments with which that very beautiful city abounds. On that occasion the French capital was enfUe, the King of Holland being on a visit to Napoleon the Third ; military displays on a grand scale the order of the day. One such display being arranged to take place at Versailles, we joined the crowds proceeding thither from St. Lazare. Having visited the chateau and its surroundings, we had the opportunity, while in the latter, of meeting the young Prince Imperial, then little more than seven years old, as he rode a small pony, accom- panied and guarded by a group of attendants. Within the chateau we visited the various salons open to the public, among them the Salon de la Guerre and Grande Galerie des Gl^ces, little thinking as we did so that they were to be revisited under very different circumstances. An important " function," at which we " assisted," was a grand review at the Champ de Mars, where 40,000 troops paraded for the purpose, accompanied by an imposing military train, and an efficient-looking pontoon train. The precision with which the various battalions and 202 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1862 other bodies of troops took up their assigned positions was striking, giving to a looker-on the impression of a high state of efiSciency. With the Champ de Mars I was to become unpleasantly acquainted eight years subsequently. During our visit an incident took place which may be mentioned in these notes. While at the table d'hdte ^ one morning I got into conver- sation with a lady whose seat adjoined my own. In the course of talk the subject of the late expedition to China being alluded to, she men- tioned the name of the officer whose death at Hong-Kong has been already recorded. I related to her some of the particulars already given, among others his request that I should destroy the mysterious parcel, and the fulfilment by me of that his dying request. As I did so, the lady seemed surprised ; she informed me that her daughter, then seated at her left side, had been engaged to Captain M , and she doubted not that the parcel in question contained the letters of the fair fiancee, whose health had given way, and on whose account both were now travelling. A short but very pleasant visit over, I took leave of the fascinating capital, little thinking of the conditions under which my acquaintance with it was to become more intimate a few years thereafter. On our homeward journey a short stay was made at Rouen. To us that city had several points of interest, including its traditional association with tlie closing scene in the life of Joan of Arc, with its attendant bar- barities ; and as the capital whence William started on his conquest of England, the Caserne de Bonnes Nouvelles now occupying the site of the palace where Matilda received " the good news " of that con- quest. Interesting also in that its cathedral contains the heart of Richard Coeur de Lion, together with a monument to that monarch. But the edifice which seemed to us the architectural gem was the church of St. Ouen, dating, it was said, from a.d. 533, and in its present form from 13 18; with its numerous windows of stained glass, its western portal and arcade, its sculptured vase, from the surface of the " holy " water contained in which a reflected view is seen of the roof through its entire extent, including the exquisite workmanship of its ornamentation. Returned to duty at Devonport, an intimation soon reached me that I was again to proceed on foreign service. A few days sufficed to make the necessary arrangements for my dear wife, who, with the children, must be left behind. Then came in quick succession orders to embark for Calcutta ; then the very painful ordeal of leave-taking ; then em- ' At the former Hotel de Lille et d' Albion, now Hotel St. James. --64] Calcutta 203 barkation at Southampton on board the P. and O. ss. Ripon, September 4, 1862, and away from England for a sixth tour abroad. Arrived at Calcutta, I was appointed to administrative charge of the Presidency and Benares divisions, the duties connected with the former including charge of the office of Inspector-General, and inspections of all ships arriving or departing with troops, all those combined func- tions being of a much more arduous nature than at the time I was able to appreciate. The cold season had set in, and with its advent the usual influx of higher officials to the Indian capital. Lord Elgin, recently appointed Governor-General, carried with him sympathetic feeling towards those who had lately served in China, and in this spirit ex- tended his civility to myself, as to some others who had but lately arrived. It was while partaking of Viceregal hospitality that I met Admiral Sir James Hope, who had given such material help to the hospital for Chinese we had established at Tientsin. With him I dis- cussed the question mooted in China of establishing at Nagasaki a sanatorium for invalid soldiers and sailors employed at various places on, and in vessels off, the coast ; but, as I think unfortunately for both those classes, the proposal never came to anything. The unusual melange of subjects which gave rise to comment in Calcutta at the same time was in its way remarkable. The ex-King of Delhi had very recently died at Rangoon. The King of Greece was reported to have abdicated, and together with his queen fled from his kingdom. A crisis had occurred in Prussia. The Emperor of Austria was about to be crowned as King of Hungary. In America, a Procla- mation had declared the emancipation of the slaves, various reports reaching us of threatened risings and other complications as outcomes of that measure. In the columns of some English journals, strong com- ments with regard to British policy in China in taking military action against the Taiping rebels. In Japan, a revolution, the city of Yedo destroyed by the insurgents. In the Straits of Corea, the Russians in- duced to abandon the island, of which they had quietly taken possession during the earlier stages of the Anglo-French expedition against China. Garibaldi wounded ; a consultation of surgeons as to whether the bullet was in the wound or not — one would think, not a very difficult enigma to solve by men of experience in the field. The coming of age of the Prince of Wales, together with the honours and promotions announced on that auspicious occasion. The nomination of Prince Alfred to the throne of Greece. The proposed mediation by France between the Northern and Southern States of America, and failure of that attempt. The endeavours made to diminish as far as possible difficulties into 204 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isea which Lancashire weavers had fallen. Such are a few of the outside matters to which conversation in Calcutta was directed. Among those more nearly connected with India was the report con- tained in the home papers of the Court-Martial — at the time notorious — having reference to the circumstances under which the death took place of the Sergeant-Major of the 6th Dragoons at Mhow. A very unplea- sant incident at a Service Club was the subject of comment ; the action taken with regard to it by the officer in chief command being discussed in terms more energetic than flattering. Towards the end of the cold season the ceremony took place of consecrating the well at Cawnpore into which were thrown the victims of the saddest of all sad episodes connected with the Mutiny of 1857. There seemed to be a lull in the current of events in India ; but not in those relating to various European nations, and to America. The insurrection which for some time past has been in progress in Poland was said to have assumed increased proportions. In England, the approaching marriage of the Prince of Wales was the [subject of loyal excitement throughout the country. In America renewed endeavours to bring about cessation of the Civil War had so far proved futile. With the advance of the hot season came the usual influx of sick officers from the interior, on their way home if possible, or to be treated in the hospital provided for their care by the Indian Government Among them the story of one was very sad, and at the same time illus- trative of that of many others. Brought to a hotel, together with his wife, a girl in age, he was found, when first seen by a medical officer, to be dying, consciousness all but gone ; his wife unaware of his actual condition; both without friend or even acquaintance in Calcutta. There was no time for delay or ceremony. I accordingly informed her at once how desperate was his state, asking at the same time if she knew what was the position of his worldly affairs. Her reply : " Not more than the child unborn." I led her to the couch of the expiring man, and asked directly, "Where is your will?" He muttered rather than intelligibly expressed a reply, which seemed, however, to give his young wife the requisite indication. Within an hour thereafter he was dead. The widow and her infant had to be left for the time being in the apartment immediately adjoining that in which lay the corpse of her liusband, until, with the Indian hospitality of that day, a resident family were communicated with, and sent their carriage for her and her infant ; both of whom were cared for until arrangements were completed, and the bereaved ones some weeks thereafter sailed for England. A good deal of talk was current in reference to two noted State trials of chiefs who had taken an active part in murders and other atrocities -64] Calcutta 205 committed in connection with the Mutiny, but who had only recently come within the clutches of the law, notably at Lucknow and Bombay. At this time emissaries of the Nana were believed to be actively at work, the general impression being that he was alive and in Nepaul, whence he continued to issue instructions to sympathisers. The near prospect of the canal across the Isthmus of Suez being completed, as well as some other considerations, led to a reconsidera- tion by the authorities of the general question relating to the transport of troops between England and India, and vice versa. Experience had recently shown the inconvenience and military objections against the long sea route via the Cape, including the long period during which to all intents and purposes troops in transit are non-effective. Statistics had so far been unfavourable in regard to the results obtained by send- ing to hill "sanatoria" soldiers suffering from organic illness. These circumstances were deemed of sufficient importance to justify inquiry into the whole matter, the outcome of the investigation being a scheme in accordance with which a line of Indian troopships was some time thereafter established. Several circumstances combined to occupy public as well as official attention. The death of Dost Mahomed was followed by fratricidal wars between his sons ; these conflicts were to continue during the next few years, and become historically interesting because of the policy of "masterly inactivity" observed towards the contending parties. Relations between England and Russia were in a strained condition ; with Japan so unsatisfactory that the dispatch thither of a military force was contemplated. A certain amount of excitement was kept alive by rumours, more or less plausible, that the Nana was alive and active ; first one suspect and then another was captured, but only to be set at liberty by judicial authority. The dispatch of the 43rd Light Infantry for service in New Zealand was in Calcutta looked upon as quite an important event; arrange- ments for transport presented no difficulty whatever, but it was im- possible to provide the regiment with equipment of a kind suitable for the service on which they were proceeding, for however well adapted for the circumstances of India is that authorized by regulations of the country, it is ill adapted for others in which camels and elephants as beasts of burthen are unobtainable. From dififerent parts of India came reports of disaffection, while from some, including Sittana, came accounts of actual outbreaks— /««a/?Va/, they were called. Early in October information reached us that under Admiral Kuper the British fleet had opened fire upon and destroyed the forts at Kagosiraa, though not without heavy loss to his own officers 2o6 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1862 and men. Orders had been issued in England for the dispatch of reinforcements thither, and instructions to the same effect have been received by the Goyernment of India. In course of duty I visited the several stations within the divisions already named at which British troops were quartered, renewing acquaintance with places formerly well known, and connected with which were various associations, pleasant and otherwise. Of such places were the jungle road leading from Arrah to Jugdispore, so familiar in connection with service there ; Beehea, where our force was suddenly attacked by Koer Singh's rebel sepoys ; Jounpore, through the streets of which city in dead of night our field force marched towards what proved to be a somewhat severe action at Teegra, listening as we proceeded to the sound of " grinders " at their " mills," by which alone silence was broken ; Azimghur, with the compound in which under fire from sepoy rifles we bivouacked, the line of march, and scene of action by our force against the besieging mutineers. On that tour of inspection duty the journey from Dinapore to Darjeeling was attended by incidents of which the following are ex- amples : — A hitch and consequent delay in regard to transit arrange- ments ; several hours by railway train ; a night spent in a wattle-and- daub hut called a dak bungalow ; twenty odd miles by steamer on the Ganges ; starting by palanqueen ; a break-down ; return on foot several miles to the place whence I had so proceeded; delay and trouble in obtaining another conveyance of the same kind ; another start ; a short rest in the house of a hospitable civil servant ; then on by raised causeway through a long tract of swampy ground ; rowed across a broad nullah, and then the land journey resumed. After a little the discovery was made that the carrier of the luggage had dropped out of sight, nor could his whereabouts be discovered. On arriving at the "stage" where a relay of bearers was expected, there were none in waiting ; the old ones heavily bribed continued, but at a slow pace, with many intervals to rest and indulge in smoking. Two more stages had to be got over in much the same manner, and then on reaching the rest house at the foot of the ascent towards Darjeeling, no provision whatever had been made for progress onward. Starting on foot, some four or five miles were got over, when meeting a native lead- ing a small horse, or tat, bare backed, without halter or other substitute than a rope around its neck, I mounted the animal, but unable to guide it, had to resume walking, and so in time got over twenty out of the thirty miles that separate Punkabaree from the popular hill station. Railway transit between Calcutta and Darjeeling was in the far future. -64] Calcutta 207 In the near vicinity of Darjeeling numerous hillmen were employed improving and remodelling the road along which my walk lay. The general aspect presented by them was miserable and unpleasant. Tartar in feature and costume, the majority distinguished by queue or "pigtail" ; many affected with goitre, others with large foul ulcers on legs or feet, unprotected by dressing of any kind, — the ulcers said to result from wounds inflicted by a poisonous fly abundantly met with here and hereabout. In the early hours of the following morning a magnificent view of the snowy range, including the peaks of Mount Everest and Kinchinjunga was obtained, all reflecting brilliantly the first rays of sunlight, but later on becoming obscured by mist. An experimental station for troops had some few years previously been established at Sinchal, situated on a mountain spur about a thou- sand feet higher than Darjeeling itself. Thither I went in course of duty, but only to learn how hateful the place was to officers and men quartered there, isolated, and for the most part concealed in cloud or mist as it was, the atmosphere damp, cold, and chilly. That the experi- ment was a failure was evident, but some time had yet to elapse before it was so acknowledged officially, and abandoned. Situated in a deep valley, ten or twelve miles from Darjeeling, and at a level of four thousand feet below that station, are the mineral wells of Nunsook ; the intervening spurs and ranges for the most part under cultivation with tea, coffee, or cinchona. Between us and the wells the Rungnoo River rushed in curling foam along its rocky bed, leaping as it went, as a cascade of conlsiderable height and volume. Crossing that stream by a wooden bridge, then ascending among the rocks to a little distance, we reached the object of our journey. So deep and narrow is the mountain rent in which the chalybeate spring issues from the rock, that sunlight reaches it during no more than two hours daily. In its immediate neighbourhood was a hut in which a few British soldiers were accommodated, also " experimentally " to test the beneficial qualities of the spring. No wonder that they wished themselves with their regiment, or anywhere except at the well of Nunsook. Another excursion was to the valley of the Rungeet River, some four- teen miles distant from Darjeeling, and forming the boundary between British India and Sikkim. The descent is steep ; as we proceeded we met numbers of hillmen toiling upwards, bearing heavy loads in kalbas or baskets upon their backs — women were similarly engaged — the goods so carried consisting in a great part of borax, spices, and other "fragrant" substances, including asafcetida, — some of the people so fair that a rosy tint was on their faces. As we descended into the deep 2o8 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1862 and narrow valley the snowy range, at first so prominent an object, became lost to view, precipices shut us in on either side, trees of great size rising from ledges or projecting from crevices. The Rungeet rushed as a large green-coloured stream along its rugged bed, at short intervals curling in white foam as it eddied around rocks or leaped in cascades over ledges ; at a short distance from where we now were it joins the Rungnoo, the united stream so formed being the Teesta, which finally discharges itself into the Brahmapootra. Crossing the Rungeet by what seemed a very frail and unsteady bridge of cane,^ we arrived in Sikkim, the span of the construction by which we did so being two hundred feet, the roaring torrent rushing beneath us. Such was the character of one part of the sphere in which in 1861 military operations had to be conducted against that region, including the transport of guns and supplies. The return journey from Darjeeling was in some respects little less unpleasant than that to it had been. Arrived at Raneegunge, it became necessary to proceed towards the station of Hazarabagh, and for that purpose to take " garry " along some part of the Grand Trunk Road, by which in 1859 I had marched with the loth Foot when en route for England. In the course of that journey crowds of pilgrims were encountered, each bearing upon his forehead the distinctive mark of the Hindoo sect to which he belonged, and carrying the pilgrim's gourd so familiar to us in mediaeval pictures ; all were devout in aspect and manner; some performing penance by crawling on hands and knees — a mode of progression by which the distance daily got over by them was said to be about one mile. And yet the majority of them had come from Ajudiah (Fyzabad), and were on their way to Juggur- nath. Two days thereafter I traversed a flight of locusts. Seen from a dis- tance the mass looked somewhat like a snow shower in a clear sunshiny day, the apparent breadth of the flight over a mile, its length six or eight; the road and bare soil on either side completely covered by those that had fallen or alighted ; the sound made by those still on the wing distinct and rustling. The conditions alluded to in this and the preceding paragraph illustrate those which existed while railways were in their early stages. The arrival of my beloved wife on December 13 was an event to be chronicled, though for the time being a boarding-house was the sub- stitute for the home to which I could take her. Like so many other ladies similarly situated, she had to place her children at school as best 1 Something like its counterpart exists at Carrick-a-reed, near tlie Giant's Cause- way, Ireland. ^4] Calcutta 209 she could, and then take leave of them to join her husband in India. The necessity of so parting with one's children is one of the greatest drawbacks of service in India, or indeed anywhere in the tropics ; it is lamented by all who are affected by it, and by none more than by ourselves. And yet it is unavoidable. Various instances illustrative of unsatisfactory results arising out of this necessity occur to the mind of most men of experience, not the least being that sons and daughters &re thrown more or less at haphazard upon those whose method and manner of training is destined to determine the style of their own lives and the relations in which they are to stand with their parents. The somewhat sudden death of Lord Elgin, while on tour, was followed by very general expression of sympathy; among those who had been associated with him in China, and so had opportunities of estimating his amiable and upright character, the sentiment was one of regret and esteem. But in India, as elsewhere — le Roi est mart ; Vive le Roi. Sir John Lawrence arrived from England ere many weeks were over ; was received by a guard of honor ; duly sworn in, and matters official proceeded in their ordinary course. For the first time, and as an experiment, an Agricultural Exhibition was organized and took place. The variety of animals brought from all parts of British India was great ; so was that of native contributors and visitors ; but there was reason to believe that lively interest on the part of the latter was sadly lacking ; they thought of the entire pro- ceeding in the light of a mere tomashah, or "hubbub," and nothing more. In the further north, — namely, on the Sittana frontier, — the " rising " among some tribes of that region had just been suppressed ; that favourable end attained in part by means of a miUtary expedition, in part by persuasion, otherwise diplomacy. Experience had long taught residents in Lower Bengal that the period of early spring is that when cholera is most to be dreaded, alike in respect to the suddenness of its attack and its fatality. The 55 th Regiment, recently arrived and temporarily encamped at Raneegunge, became somewhat severely attacked by that scourge. Various instances of sudden death occurred from the same cause among old Calcutta residents, and the health of others began to droop ; among them my wife. Soon after the direct government of India had been assumed by the Crown, a Royal Commission was appointed to inquire into sanitary questions relating|chiefly to the British troops in that dependency, and also to the native population, whether in cities, villages, or rural districts ; theirfdeliberations were necessarily protracted. In due course p 2IO Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1862 their report was published, and now the new Governor-General issued the necessary orders for the appointment, in Calcutta, of a Commission to give efifect to their recommendations, familiarly referred to as the Thirty-nine Articles, that being their number. On that Commission I was appointed to serve.^ It began its labours with enthusiasm, in the belief that by measures to be recommended by it the havoc by sick- ness and death to which our troops had been subject during the long period of our hold on India were to be materially lessened, their condition generally improved. At this date the number of soldiers required to fill the vacancies so caused amounted to 240 per week, and this we hoped to reduce considerably. Among the Wahabees ^ of India there existed wide-spread spirit of disaffection, Patna and Dacca being two important centres of its propagation. From Europe came news of war between Denmark on the one hand, Austria and Prussia on the other ; the combined armies being in occupation of Schleswig. That America had claimed from England indemnity for losses inflicted by the Alabama ^ on the plea that as " 290 '' she was built in a British dockyard. The request of the Pekin Government for British officers to act against the Taipings being acceded to, the list of those so " lent " included the name of Major C. G. Gordon, R.E., whose remarkable career had thus its starting point. From New Zealand came, unhappily, news of mis- fortune to the regiment recently dispatched from Calcutta to take part against the Maoris. On the invitation of a friend* we proceeded to his indigo factory, and so had an opportunity of obtaining some interesting particulars with regard to that industry, the actual origin of which in India, seems to have been due to civil servants of the East India Company. South America is the region to which the growth and manufacture of the plant and dye originally pertained. When introduced into India, the cultivators grew it simply at the request of the civilian in his particular district, and for the profit of the latter; after a time overseers were employed, but as in those days the presence of " interlopers " was discouraged by the local government, the class of persons employed was not such as to exert upon the natives that moral influence which would have been beneficial as it was desirable. This state of things after a time gave place to a better ; the presence of adventurers, as 1 Receiving a monthly allowance of 300 Rs. 2 Named after Mahomed ibn Abd-el Wahab, born 1691 ; a puritanical sect oi Mahomedans. ^ Subsequently destroyed by the Kerseage, off Cherbourg. " Mr. Eddis, of Hazalabut. -64] Calcutta 211 all who belonged not to the Indian service were called, had to be recognised, and so the indigo industry fell into the hands of men belonging to the middle class of British society. Then came what has ever since been looked upon as class legislation, the effect of which is considered to have been friction and disaccord between cultivators and planters. One of the most severe hurricanes recorded in this part of India occurred on the night of October 7 ; the devastation caused by it on land, at sea, and in the river Hooghly, being great and extensive. Off Calcutta ships were driven from their moorings and wrecked ; in some instances in tiers. So high did the storm-wave rise that the river overflowed the high embankment, carrying with it one or two vessels, one of which was left stranded near the Botanic Gardens; n^any houses were damaged, some completely destroyed; trees in all directions were prostrated, among them the once famous "duelling tree," under the shade of which in early morning "meet- ings " took place in days not long past, and "honour " was satisfied — at the distance of twelve paces. Regarding hurricanes, the first of which definite record is available swept over Calcutta in 1737. An extremely violent one happened in 182 1, on which occasion the storm-wave covered Saugor Island, destroying immense numbers of people, cattle, and wild animals. -Another took place in 1842, then in 1851, and now in 1864, indi- cating something like a cycle, varying from eleven to thirteen years between their occurrence. The significance of some among the public events alluded to in the preceding notes transpired in years subsequent to their actual occurrence ; the following brief summary relating to the chief per- formers in that drama is accordingly given here. From the death of Dost Mahomed,! in June, 1863, till September, 1868, his third son. Sheer Ali Khan, who, with the sanction of the Government of India, succeeded him on the throne of Affghanistan, passed through a very stormy time. His two elder brothers, Afzul and Azim, and his nephew, Abdur Rahman (the present ruler), were in revolt against him. His * At the time of his death sixteen sons of Dost Mahomed (Mahomed Akbar and Ghulam Hyder, the two heirs-designate in succession, died before their father) were alive, of whom the following are named in relation to the events above alluded to, namely : (l) Mahomed Afzul Khan ; (2) Mahomed Azim Khan : these by a wife not of Royal blood. (3) Sheer Ali Khan ; (4) Mahomed Amir Khan ; (S) Mahomed Sharif Khan : these by a favourite Popalzai wife. (6) Wali Mahomed Khan j (7) Faiz Mahomed Khan : these by a third wife. Afzul Khan had a son Abdur Raman Khan, the present Amir of Affghanistan, and Sheer Ali had five sons —Ali Khan, Yakub IChan, Ibrahim Khan, Ayub Khan, and Abdul Jan. 212 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1862-64 favourite son and heir-apparent, Ali Khan, was killed in action in 1865. In 1866 he was defeated near Ghazni by Abdar Rahman, who released his father, Afzul, from prison, into which he had been cast by Sheer Ali, led him in triumph to Cabul, and proclaimed him Amir of Aifghanistan. Afzul at once wrote to the Government of India, expressing a hope that as such the friendship of the British would be extended to him. He was informed in reply that the Government of Sir John Lawrence recognised him only as Ruler of Cabul; that as Sheer Ali held Kandahar and Herat, existing engagements with the latter could not be broken off. Afzul and Azim thereupon directed the Waziri chiefs in attendance at Court, together with the envoy, who had come from Swat to pay respects to the new Amir, to set on foot a holy war against the EngUsh, while an emissary was sent on a secret mission to Russia. In 1867 Sheer Ali was again defeated near Khelat-i-Ghilsie, and lost Kandahar. On this fact being communicated to the Government of India, Afzul Khan was in his turn recognised as Amir of Cabul and Kandahar, Sir John Lawrence at the same time informing him that the British Govern- ment intended to maintain a strict neutrality between the contending parties in Affghanistan. This policy on the part of the Governor- General was at the time called, often in sarcastic terms, "masterly inactivity." "^ Under the circumstances of the time, such public opinion as found expression in Calcutta approved of the policy in question. But neither to Afzul nor Azim was that policy satisfactory. They sent a copy of the letter conveying the decision of Sir John Lawrence to the Russian Governor of Tashkend, who was informed by Afzul that he had no confidence in the " Lord Sahib's " fine professions of friendship ; that he was disgusted with the British Government for the ingratitude and ill-treatment shown towards his brother Azim, who, it was asserted, had encouraged his father. Dost Mahomed Khan, not to disturb the Peshawurfrontier during the Mutiny. ' See Forty-one Yean in India, by Lord Roberts, vol. ii., pp. 41-43. I86S-68] Calcutta 213 CHAPTER XXIV 1865-I868. CALCUTTA. PORTSMOUTH Ahmed oola Khan — Seeta Khoond — Experimental sanatorium — Parisnath — India in Greece — Bhootan — Electric telegraph — Sickly season — My illness — Ootacamund — Todas — Climatic notes — Bangalore — Fort — Health unrestored — Benares — Temples — Sitala — Samath — Infants' grave — Sanitary Commission ceased — Again on sick leave — Cinchona Inquiry — A railv?ay journey — Bank failure — Events — The Buffs arrive — Sanitary works — Expedition to Abyssinia — The struggle for existence — The Jumna — The Euphrates — Hurricane — Departure — Trincomalee — Aden — Suez — Docks " created " — Egyptian troops — Grand Shaloof— Gardens — Freshwater Canal — Ancient baths — Moses' Wells — Pyra- mids of Ghizeh — Sphynx — Temple — Desert cold — Portsmouth. VISITING Patna in the course of duty, I was present in the court of the magistrate while Ahmed oola Khan, the suspected origi- nator of the Sittana rebeUion, was undergoing preliminary examination on a charge of sedition. For thirty years he had been suspected ; yet he held a high position under the Indian Government, at one time as a member of the Board of Instruction, then a member of the Municipal Commission, and lastly a Commissioner of the Income Tax. During the Mutiny the Local Commissioner had reason to doubt his fidelity, and reported to Government the grounds upon which his suspicions were founded, the only result as stated at the time being censure for having given expression to them. An official visit to Monghyr gave me the opportunity of driving to Seeta Khoond, in the near vicinity of that place. The spring so named has a temperature of 180° F., and is one of several in this part of India ; but chiefly interesting in that the high priest of the temple connected therewith repeated to us its legendary association with the story of Rama and Seeta,i in terms very similar to what a few days before I had read in a compressed edition of the Ramayana. Here then is the record transmitted traditionally through many ' Referred to B.C. 1400 — about. 214 Thirty -nine Years in the Army [1865 generations of a more or less mythical event, the date of which considerably preceded that of Homer. As an experiment, barracks for a small number of British soldiers were erected on the summit of Parisnath, in the hope that its elevation of 4,530 feet above sea level might exert a favourable influence on their health. A narrow pathway had recently been cut through the forest 1 by which the hill is covered. Ascending by it we traverse several precipitous ridges, between which deep and thickly wooded valleys intervene. Voices of many birds are heard as we proceed; among them the crow of jungle cock and scream of the coel ; ^ black squirrels and lungoors dash rapidly from branch to branch, downwards into the forest beneath us. Parisnath is the Sinai of the Jains.^ On its summit are twenty- two temples pertaining to that sect, the largest consecrated to their chief deity, Parisnath, whence the name of the hill. Numerous pilgrims visit the shrines, more especially in the month of Poos, or November. There are those who believe — with what measure of authority I know not — that an immigrant tribe from the vicinity of the hill in question having settled in ancient' Greece, transferred the name of their sacred mountain to " Parnassus." * The legend may be on a par with that in accordance with which the name of Sevastopol is made to signify " The Place of Siva." For some time past unpleasantness had been breeding with regard to Bhootan ; endeavours were made to come to a peaceful understanding with the chiefs concerned, but these having ended in failure, the dispatch thither of a military expedition was resolved on.^ In the early part of the cold season a combined force of British and native troops was equipped, and proceeded on service to that territory, a chief reason for sending white troops being a report that considerable mis- conduct on the part of sepoys at Dewangiri had reached the authorities, the circumstance furnishing a suggestive commentary on action recently taken to materially increase the native army. On March 4 an event occurred which, in its importance to India, should be mentioned : the first direct telegraphic message from Lon- 1 Chiefly of Sal. Vateria, interspersed with Bauhinia. 2 Eudynemus. 8 The Jain sect deny the divine origin and infallibility of the Vedas. It dates from the sixth or seventh century A.D. ; culminated in the eleventh, and declined in the twelfth. * See India in Greece, by Pocock. ^ Under command of Sir Henry Tombs. -68] Calcutta 215 don was delivered in Calcutta, it having taken three days to reach its destination. As a painful coincidence, Colonel Stewart, to whom the public are indebted for the completion of that undertaking, died just as the work had been finished. Hitherto the telegrams received came through several lines. The hot season this year set in unusually early ; it was severe and protracted, sickness and death making havoc among all classes of foreigners, more especially our soldiers. Medical officers, like others, were prostrated in great numbers, the result being that those who remained fit for duty had much extra work thrown upon them. The establishment in India being so closely kept down so as to meet only ordinary requirements, it is inadequate when the demands become con- siderable, whether on account of epidemic or field service. In July duty took me to Hazarabagh. The rains were on, the roads soft, and in many places submerged. On my return journey, detention for several hours at night in dense jungle was occasioned by the Siranee River being in flood, and impassable. The result of that exposure was a severe attack of illness, by which for two months I was prostrated and altogether incapacitated for work. Having hitherto avoided making an application for privilege leave, I now submitted such a request, but with the unlooked-for result that it met with a refusal— the fact that it did so illustrating the attitude of departmental seniors towards their juniors in those days. With reluctance I felt under the necessity of applying for a medical certificate, on which, as a matter of course, I obtained leave of absence. At the time referred to, the Neilgherry hills were more get-at-able from Calcutta than were the Himalayahs ; our^ means of transit, by steamer to Madras, train thence to Coimbatore, bullock bandy or cart to Metapollium, hammock or pony to Ootacamund. The ascent of the ghat presents a succession of strikingly beautiful views, precipitous cliffs, mountain ascents clothed by dense forest, deep valley and shola thickly wooded, rushing streams and small cascades. Arrived at Coonoor, 6,000 feet above sea level, the temperature becomes mild ; hedges chiefly composed of geraniums and roses ; fruit trees, orchards, and gardens, all in full bearing, meet the eye. In front of us a succes- sion of grass-covered " downs " appear, their general aspect completely different from that presented by Himalayan sanatoria. In due time "Ooty" is reached, but a severe attack of ague while riding up the ghat rendered the latter part of the journey the reverse of pleasant. In the immediate vicinity of this place, and scattered about among ' My wife and Miss Dickson with me. 2i6 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1865 the higher points of the hills, the aboriginal tribe of Todas have their settlements, consisting of their peculiar-shaped huts, crowded together as if for mutual defence. Of their original history, not a trace, not even tradition remains ; but other native hill races look upon them as the original owners of the soil, and pay them in its produce, for the Todas neither cultivate nor perform manual labour of any other kind, except that certain members of each village community have the duties assigned to them of milking their kine, and preparing their ghee, or clarified butter. They practice polyandry. ^ Infanticide was frequent among them until suppressed under the action of Government. Very charming as a health resort was " the Southern Sanatorium " found to be. Temperature moderate in degree and range, relatively cooler than that of England in summer, warmer in winter, it possesses greater advantages in these respects than corresponding places in the Himalayan range. Thus, the mean shade temperature is — in January, 53° F. j February, 56°; March, 62°; April, 63°; May, 62°; June, 60°; July, 58°; August, 58°; September, 56°; October, 58°; November, 56°; December, 53°. Annual rainfall, 48 inches; rainy days, 19 ; with occasional showers, 81 ; cloudy, 28 ; clear and fine, 238 = 365. In the month of January, with a shade temperature of 53° F., that in the sun was 118° F. A visit to Bangalore presented several items of interest. One was the peculiar method by which native workmen split off flakes of the sienite rock that there abounds ; the process comprising the application of long-continued heat to the surface, after which the use of chisel, hammer, and percussion so applied as to produce the effect desired. A good deal of comment was the outcome of a visit paid to a "con- demned " barrack building, in which was accommodated the band of an infantry regiment — the walls of the edifice in so tumble-down a condi- tion that practice was prohibited lest the vibration caused by the musical instruments should shake the remainder to pieces. The old fort well repaid a visit to it. In 1791 it was captured by the forces under Lord Cornwallis, the breaches then effected being still traceable by the soft material with which they were filled up, while the broad deep ditch around the fortress remains to a great extent in its original condition. Among the dungeons in which Tippoo Sultan was wont to imprison his captives that of Sir David Baird was indicated to us ; as also the wheel to which the captives were put for the double purpose of raising water for palace use, and amusing thereby the ladies of the zenana. ' So do some of the tribes in the Himalayahs. So did the ancient Spartans. -68] Calcutta 2 1 7 With health unrestored, but rather deteriorated, duty had to be resumed. An important item connected therewith was the inspection of ships arriving with troops, or engaged for the conveyance of others homewards, considerable exposure and fatigue necessarily undergone in its performance. That risk to life was run in persisting to remain at my post, instead of leaving India, was sufficiently clear to myself; but cir- cumstances determined me to run that risk. Early in i866 duty^ took me to Benares. An excursion through the narrow streets and to the shrines within that ancient city was interesting, as a similar visit had been on a previous occasion. The aspect of those streets, the style of dress of the people, their modes of buying and selling, their religious observances, at the present day un- changed since a date six centuries B.C., when, as history records, Kasi was a flourishing city. The temple of Bisheshwar, " the poison god" — a personification of Siva, the special deity of Benares, the object of pilgrimage to thousands of Hindoos — has within it the shrine in the shape of a black stone, ever kept wet by Ganges water, before which their special acts of devotion are performed. The minarets and tapering summit of the temple still resplendent with gold gilding, with which they were last decorated at the expense of Runjeet Singh, of the Punjab. In close vicinity is the Gyan Kup, or " Well of Know- ledge, " in which Siva is believed by her worshippers to dwell, but from which arises offensive odours from decomposing floral offerings. In the " golden temple " itself is a figure representing the Kutwal, or judicial officer of Bisheshwar, in his hand a club, at his feet two dogs of stone — Orion and Canes venatici. Numerous other temples stand in the near vicinity of this the largest and most important of all. Of these, one of small dimensions is sacred to Sanichar, otherwise Saturn, the face of the deity being of a blue or leaden hue. A second is dedicated to the goddess Anpoorna, of whom it is related that when Benares was first established as a city, a famine having occurred she supplied grain, Gunga, or the river Ganges, giving water, and so the people were fed ; the custom then established of giving a daily allowance of grain and water being still continued, as witnesssed by ourselves. A third temple visited was dedicated to the Sun. Within it is a painting in which the great luminary is represented in a chariot drawn by seven horses, clearly the prototype of Phcebus and his car. A fourth, dedicated to Sukreshwar, or Venus, is much frequented by women ambitious to become mothers of handsome sons. To the courtesy and kindness of Dr. J. A. Dunbar, whose historical ' A severe epidemic of cholera among the British troops. 2i8 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1865 knowledge of these and other places visited was great, I was indebted for a most pleasant and interesting excursion. Close to the river edge stood a temple to Sitala, goddess of small- pox, the deity being a stone much worn ; before it three female devotees made poojah in hopes of thereby obtaining immunity against or cure of the disease for themselves and relations — a practice adopted also and in like manner by the Chinese. Nangrah, or the temple of the seven planets, after which are named the days of the week, was old and dilapidated, not having been " restored " from the time of the Mahomedan conquest, a.d. 1017, when, like many others, it was much injured. A small, square-shaped tank, the Nand Kunka, is said to be the point of junction between the Ganges, Jumna, and "sacred" Suruswattee ; but inasmuch as a similar union is assigned to Prague, i.e. Allahabad, tradition seems to be at fault somewhere. Hindoos believe that those who bathe in that Pool of Siloam at Benares attain immor- tality. An object of different kind visited by us was the Man Mundee, or old observatory erected by Rajah Jey Singh, a.d. 1693, at the same time as that at Delhi, and, like it, now ruined. On the way to canton- ments is the house in which dwelt Warren Hastings, 1773-1781 ; at a little distance that in which, in 1799, Mr. Davis repelled single-handed the attack by followers of Wazir Ali,^ after the latter had been deposed from the throne of Oude by Sir John Shore, at that time Governor- General. At a distance of a few miles, on a plain anciently known as the Deer Park, are the ruins of Sarnath, a city said to date from the fourth century b.c, to have been the place where Sakya Muni first publicly preached the doctrines of Buddhism, and to have been destroyed by fire in the seventh century a.d. On a mound formed by ruins stood a pillar like that of the Birs Nimroud. A second pillar had on it carvings and scrolls peculiar to the Buddhists, whose style of architecture was subsequently adopted by the Hindoos, to be reproduced in their tem'ples. A sad and to me aifecting visit was to the grave of my dear infant. As I wrote at the time of his deplored death, so now, many years thereafter, the impression of the loved child comes vividly upon me.^ The Sanitary Commission already mentioned ceased to exist, and a Commissioner appointed to take over the duties it had performed. Great were the expectation of benefits to come, in respect to public health and decrease of mortality which were to result from the labours ^ The son of Mr. Davis became Governor of Hong-Kong, and author of an extremely interesting history of China. ^ St. Luke xviii. i6. -68] Calcutta 219 of our Commission ; great also the individual confidence of members in the realization of such hopes. In the literary inquiries connected with ray position on that Commission material was gathered for a work, on Army Hygiene, then published by me. As the hot season advanced, my health, already much impaired, suffered more severely than it had done while the heat of climate remained somewhat moderate. Privilege leave was therefore applied, and, after some delay, obtained. I accordingly made my way, for the second time, to Madras and Ootacamund, accompanied by my dear wife. Almost from the day of arrival my health improved ; a series of excursions, rides, and walks adding to beneficial influence of the climate of that favourite place. I had lately been appointed member of a Committee to examine and report upon the relative medicinal values of the various alkaloids obtained from cinchona. My attention thus drawn to the cultivation of the plant or tree, I visited the extensive plantation which then existed in the neighbouring hills, taking advantage to observe the various methods of cultivation adopted with a view to increasing to the utmost the deposit of quinine. But impressions were by no means enthusiastic in regard to the probable pecuniary success of this industry, or the permanent reliance of medical men upon its special alkaloid, the use of which had already become considerably less than it was a few years ago. As the period of my leave drew to its close, and I began my return journey, some of the experiences attending upon Indian travelling in the hot season befell me. In the midst of storm and heavy rain, at 2 a.m., I arrived at Coimbatore, then the railway terminus, got into one of the carriages drawn up at the platform and there made myself at home till 4.45 a.m., at which hour the train started. As the day advanced, so did the strength of hot wind; the sky was lurid with dust, while I, suffering severe pain, could neither recline nor sit with anything approaching comfort. It was close upon midnight when I reached the hotel at Madras, at which I had arranged to- alight. With next morning came the newspapers of the day, containing the very unwelcome intelligence that the Agra Bank had suspended pay- ment. Like many others in India, such small savings as I had been able to effect were deposited in that concern; so now, my health impaired, the rainy season before me, my wife left behind, my money store for the time being in a precarious position, circumstances wore att aspect by no means bright. Returning to duty at Calcutta, the attention of public authorities 220 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [ises was found to be occupied by the condition of matters in India, and that existing elsewhere, the latter having indirect relation to the country itself. From several places on the coast line, more especially Orissa, came sad reports of famine and of destructive pestilence, all of which in due time extended to inland districts, even to the upper provinces of Hindostan. To mitigate and relieve the suffering thus occasioned. Sir John Lawrence initiated a variety of measures which were destined in subsequent years to be systematized, and so meet the occurrence of similar occurrences throughout the country. Beyond our frontier. Sheer Ali, whose accession at Cabul had but lately been recognised, was strengthening his position. Russia engaged in sub- jugating Bokhara. In America there was talk about a Fenian invasion of Canada, almost immediately followed by the collapse of such a plan, if indeed it ever assumed shape. In Europe the unparalleled successes of " the seven days' war " ; the surrender by Austria of Venetia to Italy. Another event of importance was the laying of the Atlantic Telegraph Cable, a scientific triumph in some respects more important than the military occurrences just alluded to. Early in the cold season, the arrival of the Nile, having on board the Headquarters of the Buffs, gave me an opportunity of seeing once again my first regiment with which, twenty-one years ago, I sailed from the place where we now are for England. In the interval one or more .generations, in a regimental sense, had come and gone ; so that to "my first love " I was a stranger ; officers and men unknown to me, I unknown to them. In pursuance of suggestions by the late Sanitary Commission, a series of camp grounds were selected, to which in times of cholera troops might conditionally be sent. At miUtary stations, barracks were to be erected in accordance with plans drawn out by the same body. In these respects, impaired as health was, inspection of stations, added to ordinary official routine, became an arduous duty. Arrangements had to be made with reference to an expedition about to be dispatched against the King of Abyssinia. In calculating the probable requirements for which preparations had to be made, casualties by climate were looked upon as likely to exceed those in battle; supplies on a large scale were accordingly provided. From bed to duty, from duty to bed : such in brief was the manner in which were passed the three last months in Calcutta. In one respect Fortune "smiled," — namely, that hospitality of a friend ^ supplied all that need, or even luxury, required. The presence, moreover, of my ' George Dickson. -68] Calcutta 2 21 wife was a solace to me, though the condition of illness to which I was- reduced must have been the cause of much anxiety to her. The first of the new transport ships to arrive was the Jumna. Being sighted from Saugor at the end of September, a party of officials, of which I was one, was speedily on board the river steamer Koladyne^ and away towards Diamond Harbour. The " trooper " soon loomed high on the horizon, her general shape unusual, and being painted white, her aspect differed from that of ships familiar to us. Coming ta anchor at the last-named place, the 7th Dragoon Guards and 2nd Battalion Rifle Brigade were within a few days thereafter conveyed on board, and away the ship steamed towards Suez. At the end of October the second of the Indian transports, the Euphrates, arrived at Calcutta, having on board the 2nd Battalion 60th Rifles, with which, six years ago, I had come down the Peiho from Tientsin to Taku, when that battalion and myself were homeward bound from China. November was ushered in by the occurrence of a hurricane of extreme violence, an example of the most severe of those meteors tO' which this part of India is at intervals liable, the damage to shipping and on shore being a counterpart of what has already been related regarding another cyclone. On this occasion the Euphrates was- forced ashore at Diamond Harbour, where, during several hours, she remained in a perilous position, but fortunately without damage, so that as the storm abated she was restored to her anchorage. In due course the ship arrived off Prinsep's Ghat, the first of her kind to come up the river so far. There the troops on board were landed, the hull carefully examined by divers, and being declared to be uninjured, pre- parations were made for the embarkation of the troops proceeding by her to England. The 27th, or Enniskillen Regiment, having embarked, I went on board, together with my wife, on November r3. On the following day enjoyed the often-talked-of, long-hoped-for gratification of viewing Calcutta from over the stem of a homeward-bound vessel, at the same time conscious of a protecting Providence to whom, under a series of .trying and otherwise unpleasant circumstances, my life had been so far prolonged, and I enabled to meet the necessities of those dependent upon me. In due time we entered the remarkably beautiful harbour of Trincomalee. Dotted with numerous islands, all thickly covered with rich vegetation, the background filled up with a series of low forest- clad hills, the general scene — tropical in character — could scarcely be exceeded in loveliness. But the hot, damp atmosphere, as we landed 22 2 Thirty-nine Years m the Army [1865 and drove through the town of the same name, was such that we ex- perienced no desire to prolong our stay. Arrived at Aden, orders awaited the Commander to proceed at once to Suez, which he accordingly did; but the circumstance caused a good deal of excitement in the gallant Enniskillings, among whom the wish was father to the belief that they were sure to be landed and sent to Abyssinia. Several vessels connected with the Abyssinian expedition were anchored in the Gulf of Suez as the Euphrates entered it. The canal across the isthmus had recently been begun, the troops arriving at either end having still to be conveyed by rail and then re-embarked. Here we speedily learned by telegraph that our corresponding trans- port from Alexandria had met with a mishap so serious in kind that delay of not less than three weeks was inevitable before we could proceed. Extensive docks were then in progress near to our anchorage. They were formed from material raised from the sea-bed by dredgers and other mechanical means ; the masonry supplied from the neighbour- ing Akaba range of hills. It was an unpleasant sight, as it was suggestive, to see in the ooze so raised, considerable numbers of human bones, confirming to some degree the evil repute assigned to Suez boatmen, chiefly Greeks and Italians. A considerable number of Egyptian troops were encamped on the heights behind the city. The men, strong and active in appearance, had, it was said, been slaves, captured by the Bedouins in the Soudan and sold to agents of the Viceroy ; they were dressed a la Zouaves, and armed with swords and matchlocks. A trip being organized for the purpose, we proceeded by boat drawn by a couple of mules along the Freshwater canal; at the end of about five miles arriving at Little Shaloof, where arrangements were in progress so that by means of locks a junction between the two water- ways should take place. From there we proceeded as before, some six miles more, to Grand Shaloof, where it was said the works in pro- gress could be best examined. At that place the depth of the channel in course of excavation was 30 feet, the breadth 150, Crowds of work- men, including French, Italian, Maltese, and Greeks, were employed as navvies, the soil being carried up the sides by small rails, and deposited on either side to form embankments. In the successive layers of gravel, sand, and clay in which the workmen were engaged, organic remains existed in considerable abundance; among them oyster shells, encrinites, bones assigned to mastodon, and gigantic teeth of the carcharodon. The canal is in working order from Port -68] Stiez 223 Said to Ismaliah, where, in Lake Timsah, it is joined by the ancient canal from Bulak. At Shaloof a considerable village has sprung up in the midst of the desert ; the houses consist of wooden huts, the population being em- ploy& on the canal. Around some of those huts little gardens had been made, peas, beans, greens, asparagus, artichokes, Jerusalem arti- chokes, and spinach being among the vegetables grown in them ; the plants of larger growth within and surrounding them in the form of incipient hedges included palma Christi, Eschynomene (or jait), thuja, and willow. The Freshwater Canal, by which we returned to Suez, had an average depth of 5 to 6 feet, a breadth of 40 to 50. Its water, though origin- ally no doubt sweet and fresh, was now brackish, but on that account not unsuited to the nourishment of particular kinds of plants, as along its sides grew in abundance tamarisk, reed grass, rushes, and bulrushes. A good deal of trafiSc was in progress along it ; but otherwise the region on either side was desert, destitute of man, house, or tree, the only living things to be seen being a vulture in the distance, and in close vicinity a drymoica or reed warbler of some kind. According to history the portion of this canal which extends from Lake Timsah to Bulak was made under Sesostris ; ^ a continuation of it extended to Suez, — namely, that by which we travelled. The original channel has several times fallen into decay, and been again repaired, the last occa- sion on which it was so being under Mehemet Ali. The population of Suez was said to comprise the scourings of all nations. The place itself is not without points of historical interest. It is considered to occupy the site, or very near the site, of Pihahiroth, or simply Hira, Kolsim, and Arsinoe, the latter founded by Ptolemy Philadelphus.2 At a short distance from its north-east gate is a mound on which stands a villa for the use of the Viceroy ; at the base of that mound is a thick layer of asphalte,^ believed to indicate the site of ancient baths. The modern town contains the house, now a telegraph office, in which Napoleon the First once had his headquarters. Dis- cretion induced us, when visiting the town of evil repute, to go in suffi- ciently large party to hold our own if necessary. An excursion to Ayfln Musa, or Moses' Wells, occupied pleasantly an entire day. Proceeding by steam launch to Quarantine Harbour, we there found mules and ponies, sent on the previous day. So mounted, we scampered over the five or six miles of desert that ' B.C. 1 400- 1 200. 2 B.C. 286-247. ^ Believed to have been brought from Babylon. 2 24 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [isss separated that place from the objects of our trip. As we neared the wells, groves of date and other palms became more and more distinct ; the groves were seen to surround each of the twelve wells that form the group, each moreover to be surrounded by walls, the garden so en- closed well irrigated from its particular well, and yielding produce abundantly. The largest well of the series is that to which tradition assigns the halting-place of the Israelites on the third day of their wandering in the wilderness of Etham after crossing "the Sea of Reeds," in the near vicinity of what is now Lake Timsah.^ As then, so at the present time, the water of Marah is "bitter," otherwise brackish and undrinkable, though used for purposes of irrigation ; that of the well in question gushed from the earth abundantly, bubbling as it did so from several apertures. From it we went on to examine the other springs that make up the group, on our way noting the style of tree and under vegetation, and searching, as we did unsuccessfully, for the " quails " (jPterocles, or sand-grouse) mentioned with reference to the temporary halt at this place made by the Israelites ; three hours were so spent. On returning to the spring whence we had started, we found it partly empty ; it thus told its own story — that it was tidal in character. The surrounding gardens, amply irrigated as they were from this well, yielded abundant crops of vegetables, including spinach, radishes, chives, onions, and tomatoes. Among the trees within the same enclosure were date, tamarisk, pomegranate, rose, fig, parkinsonia, cirrus, lawsonia (the mendhee or hennah of India), myrtle, and mul- berry. Along the sides of the watercourses or irrigation channels a rich green carpet of digitaria (or dhoop grass of India) grew. We saw no such tree as had the property of rendering brackish water palatable to the taste ; not even the moringa aptera, the pods of which, when mas- ticated, are credited with that of rendering such water "sweet to the palate." On our return on board, we referred to Josephus,^ and from his account have no doubt that Moses recognised the wells which now bear- his name as in their nature tidal. A very delightful excursion was that to Cairo, performed by rail across the desert. From that most oriental city we drove to the Nile, near to the island of R.odda ; crossed the river by boat, passing close to the Nilometer while we were in transit ; landed at Ghizeh ; mounted donkeys; thence continued our journey over seven miles of road, con- sisting of a dilapidated raised pathway through alluvial fields and swamps dotted thickly with aquatic birds. Thus did we reach the ^ Numbers xxxiii. 8 ; Exodus xv. 25. See also The Bible ana Modern Dis- covery, p. 89. ^ Antiquities of the Jews, Book III. chap. i. sec. 2. -68] Homeward 22 = famous and very remarkable Pyramids of Ghizeh. The largest of these, namely, that of Cheops — b.c. 2400 about — was the special object of our excursion. In ascending one of its sides we had the aid of power- ful Arabs, whose demonstrative methods of assistance were by no means appreciated by the ladies of our party. The massive stones that formed the stair-like ascent of this most ancient monument in the world had a thickness ranging from two to three feet ; they consisted of two kinds, the one set of nummulite, the other of chalky clay, but the coating and outer layer that in ancient times completely covered them has long ceased to exist. The summit is flat ; the view from it exten- sive : it includes Cairo, the Libyan hills, pyramids of Sakkara and of Dashur, the position of " the Battle of the Pyramids," the two smaller pyramids of Cephrenes and Mycerenes respectively, the Sphynx, and numerous tombs. On our left were the pits in which it is believed the mortar for the larger pyramid was mixed ; the small mud pyramid, supposed to be that of Cheops' daughter ; then in the distance heaps composed of materials raised from pillaged tombs. The descent proved more difficult than the ascent. After a short rest we proceeded to explore the interior of the huge pile. From the entrance we descended, by a narrow passage not more than four feet in height, a distance of 106 feet, then ascended by another passage, at an angle of 27°, to "the Queen's Chamber." Returning to the point from which branches upward the great gallery, we ascended by it to "the King's Chamber," passing in our progress through the supposed posi- tion of four ancient portcullises. Returning to, and glad to be in, the open air, we passed on to Campbell's Tomb,^ in which, at a depth of sixty feet from the surface, lies exposed the sarcophagus of porphyry described in books of travel. Thence to the Sphynx, now mutilated, yet whose intensely grave, placid expression struck us with awe, as it has affected other travellers who have visited it during the thousands of years included in its history. Near the Sphynx is a temple excavated in the solid rock. Huge blocks, some seventeen feet long, of red granite are in it so arranged as to form passages and doorways ; others of alabaster, of scarcely smaller dimensions, being interspersed among them. So far, information is wanting with regard to the history of this temple ; but to us it is no less wonderful in its way than any of the other objects and buildings we visited. At last the time came for the troops on board the Euphrates to resume their homeward voyage. It was with regret that we took leave of Captain Dunn and officers, and proceeded to the train by which the ' Referred to the period of the XXVIth Dynasty, B.C. 666-528. Q 226 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1866-68 transit across the desert was to be made. It was now late in Decem- ber ; the sensation of cold experienced by us during the night of our journey very severe, far beyond what readings of the thermometer indicated. By afternoon of 28th we were on board the Crocodile, and away from Alexandria. On New Year's Day anchored in the Grand Harbour of Malta, in which as companions our transport had British ironclads, and vessels of all sorts belonging to various nationalities. Resuming our voyage on the 3rd, we passed Gibraltar on the 6th ; thence homeward the passage was short but boisterous. On the 12th we landed at Ports- mouth, our leave-taking very different in kind from that on quitting the Euphrates. 1868-70] , Portsmouth 227 CHAPTER XXV I868-I87O. PORTSMOUTH Duties — Geology — Societies formed — Portland prison — Parkhurst — Garrison prisons Gymnastics — Arrival of 33rd and loist Regiments — Man of 3rd Light Dragoons — Sale of decorations — Illness — Discharging soldiers — Comments. APPOINTED to the Southern District,^ the duties connected with departmental administration were entered upon without delay. Within the garrison of Portsmouth, headquarters of the district, they included work relating to embarking and disembarking troops, in ad- dition to ordinary routine ; through the district, inspections ot military establishments and places with which I was already familiar. In visiting establishments on the Isle of Wight some pleasant excur- sions were taken in company with a kindred spirit * in regard to natural things. With geological map in hand,* we walked from point to point comparing the strata as we proceeded with the several illustrative sketches there presented. So also official visits to the Isle of Portland gave opportunity of studying the history presented by its rocks and strata, with regard to its alternating elevations and submergences in geological periods. The operations in progress at Spithead in connec- tion with forts intended to be built there supplied with ample material in different shapes those among us \^hose tastes led us to take interest in them. Among our numbers were several men devoted to different branches of natural history; others whose tastes and pursuits were in more purely professional subjects. By means of a happy combination between the two a society * was set on foot, a room with fuel and light assigned to its use by the War Office, and an excellent library collected. Papers were read at its meetings, abstracts being published in the London professional journals. So great was the success which attended ' Of England. 2 Dr. Maunsell. ' Journal of the Geological Society, vol. x. * The Army Medical Society. 228 Thirty-nine Years tn the Army [ises- our efforts that a society of allied kind was established by scientific and professional residents of Portsmouth and its vicinity. The then governor of Portland convict prison had previously held a similar position at Norfolk Island, to which at that time the worst and most desperate criminals were sent from New South Wales. The men he had there to deal with were the most desperate and reckless of their class ; but some of the accounts Mr. Clifton gave regarding his method towards them were most interesting, some even pathetic, the keynote of his system having been, on suitable occasions, to appeal to their human nature. With evident gusto we were invited to enter what he called his museum of implements with which from time to time attempts on his life had been made by convicts under his charge ; and very miscellaneous were they as they lay upon their shelves, duly labelled and arranged. Among the convicts were some who had in their day occupied high social position, one of them in particular. Passing them as we did, our gaze was averted as we did so, but it was not in us to withhold from them a thought of pity. At Parkhurst the "governor" of the convict prison was a lady, the convicts being women. It was the boast of Mrs. Gibson that, in main- taining discipline and administering justice for offences, no barrier of any kind separated her from the offender brought before her, and yet, unlike the experience already mentioned, with the exception of one occasion, violence had never been offered her. " Unless," said she, " I have sufficient moral power to maintain order, my influence would be gone." Her daughter had been carefully tended from infancy to woman- hood by a life convict. But among her prisoners were some whose disposition was most desperate ; there were others who, when they " felt a fit of passion coming on," made request to their " governor " that, as a favour, she would allow them to " go to the pump," so that by the violent exertion there required of them they might " work it off." A short time previous there had been under her charge as life convict a young lady, the story of whose " crime " and conviction occupied public attention to a more than usual degree, the question of her guilt being no less discussed than were the circumstances under which her confession had been obtained, the reality of that confession, and the relation of " confessors " to the individual on the one hand, and to law on the other. The periodical inspection of Garrison prisoners came within the ordinary routine of duty. As a matter of information, inquiries on such occasions were directed to the effect, if any, of punishments undergone by soldiers in deterring them from subsequent crime, the usual reply re- ceived being that " the same men come here over and over again." Past -70] Portsmouth 229 experience in regiments had been to the same effect in regard to offences, and to a considerable extent also to men coming " on the sick report " to hospital, the numbers of the latter depending greatly upon the kind of duty, parades, drills, and so on, that was about to take place. Regi- mental surgeons understood all such moves on the part of the men, and for the most part were able to estimate at its approximate value the statements made by individuals. While visiting a military gymnasium, attention was drawn to perform ances by the non-commissioned officer in charge, a noted gymnast, some of whose feats on the trapeze and otherwise were remarkable as showing high proficiency in his art. At the time of their performance his appearance indicated advanced phthisis, and within a month there- after he succumbed to that condition. Other instances more or less similar to his have come under notice, indicating that the ability to perform feats of " strength " and agility is not a constant indication of robust health, although it may be of " knack " acquired by practice. Duty brought me in contact from time to time with regiments with which on previous occasions I had been associated ; for example, the 34th at Azimghur, 3Sth at Dinapore, 97th at Sooltanpore, and 67th at Tientsin. The arrival of the 33rd from Abyssinia was made an occa- sion to do honour to the gallant " West Ridings " for its services in that campaign. That of the loist on its first tour of home service was attended by various incidents, some amusing in their way, showing how new to the men were the conditions in which they found themselves Fortunately for them " comrades " in garrison gave them willing help in landing baggage, carrying coals, filling straw beds, and so on. Visiting the barracks at Chichester, I learned some particulars with reference to the sequel of the incident connected with a soldier of the 3rd Light Dragoons at Wuzzeerabad in 1853. That regiment now occupied those barracks preparatory to going on foreign service, but so numerous had been the changes during the interval that with difficulty was one man found who remembered it. According to his account the particulars given by the man then alluded to, in regard to his part in the murder on Wandsworth Common, the disposal of watch and chain of his victim, were confirmed by subsequent inquiries. The man him- self was condemned to a lunatic asylum, and there he died. While walking along High Street on one occasion, attention was attracted to two medals exposed for sale in the window of a well-known silversmith of that day. To them was attached a short printed notice relating that they were the identical decorations presented to the two men most distinguished for gallantry in the battle of Waterloo. In default of heirs they had come to be among the contents of an old 230 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1868-70 curiosity shop. They had respectiyely been bestowed upon Colonel Macdonell and Sergeant Graham, both of the Coldstream Guards, for their defence of Hougomont against the combined forces under Jerome Bonaparte, Foy, and B^chelu. On subsequent occasions, orders and decorations for the Mutiny campaign were, for lack of heirs, sold by public auction; a commentary on the passing value of such things, highly prized though they are by those on whom, for services rendered, they were conferred in the first instance. In the spring of 1870 I experienced in person what in many other instances is a sequence of continued attacks of malarious illness, in that they seemed to culminate in one of great severity, even after nearly a year and a half of English climate. To the great care and skill of two army surgeons * I owe my recovery — indeed, my life. Restoration to full activity was slow. Meantime, a duty devolved upon me the nature of which was unpleasant, as it seemed to me invidious. A scheme of Army retrenchment was to be enforced. In accordance therewith reductions in the numbers of men borne on their rolls were ordered to be carried out in regiments in our particular district as in others ; the instructions under which officers concerned were obliged to act leaving to them little, if any, discretionary power. The classes of men to be selected for discharge, and so make room or recruits to be enlisted under the short service system, comprised — (i) the sickly and weak ; (2) those of bad character ; (3) those who for reasons of their own were desirous of obtaining discharge. It was felt that, of the first, the greater number would be cast adrift, incapable of earning a livelihood, and so be thrown upon parish relief; that by the second, a number of incorrigible characters would be let loose on the public, to prey upon it either by begging or by crime, to be further a burthen to the taxpayer in respect to expenses of prosecution, and of maintenance in prison while undergoing punishment for crimes com- mitted. The third class was composed of those who, having become trained soldiers, inured to discipline, were lost to the service when their individual value was at its greatest. Some of us felt strongly then that such numerical reductions as were deemed necessary, on account of public reasons, might have been carried out by the more gradual and less objectionable method of ceasing to recruit for a few weeks or months. 1 Leach, 46th Regiment ; O'Leary, Royal Artillery. i87o] Franco-Prussian War 231 CHAPTER XXVI 1870. JULY-SEPTEMBER. FRANCO-PRUSSIAN WAR. SIEGE OF PARIS FrancO'FrussiaD War — Appointed to the French — German successes — Arrive in Paris — Rumours — Aspect — Ministry of War — Champ de Mars — Captured as a Prussian spy — Rumours and facts — A disturbed night — Revolution of September 4 — Escape of the Empress — Vinoy arrives from Meziires— After the Revolution — The outlook — Arming the masses — Approach of the enemy — LevM en masse — Aspect of the city — Versailles "honourably" capitulated — Provisioning — Present and prospective evils — City gates closed— Preparations for the defence — Police in abeyance — Paris encircled — Some ambassadors quit — Conditions within — ^Arrangements for vf'ounded. IN tlie middle of July (1870) the morning papers recorded the inci- dent at Ems, soon to become famous, between Benedetti and the King of Prussia, its eflFect in Paris a demand for war, and by the popu- lace shouts of "A Berlin r^ Events rapidly developed; the Powers concerned prepared for war ; proffered mediation by England rejected by France. On the 21st of that month war was declared by the King of Prussia ; on the 23rd by the Emperor of the French ; on August 2 the young Prince Imperial received his bapUme de feu ; ^ war had begun. A few days thereafter I was warned for service with the French in the capacity of Medical Commissioner, to report to the War Office on cer- tain specified points relating to military organization in the field. Aware of the importance of duties before me, preparations were quickly made for entering upon them, including the payment of heavy extra premium to an insurance office. From that time onwards my attention was directed to the remarkable development of military events by which those declarations were fol- lowed. In the first instance there was the small success of the French at Saarbruck on August 2, followed on the 4th by their severe defeat at Weissenburg, after which one defeat after another followed in quick succession ; namely, Woerth and Spicheren on the 6th ; Forbachen on ' At Saarbruck. 232 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 the 7th ; St. Avoid on the 9th, when the partial investment of Metz began; Strasburg invested on the loth; the battle of Courcelles or Longville, nearPenge, on the 14th ; the battles of Mars la Tour, Grave- lotte, and St. Privat, i6th to i8th, both inclusive, leading to the com- plete investment of Metz. The aspect of affairs had been so affected by those events that preparations for the defence of Paris began on the 23rd. The Germans following up their victories by that of Beaumont, near the Belgian frontier, on the 30th, forced MacMahon to fall back upon Sedan, after sustaining very severe losses in men, guns, and stores. In other directions, during the same period, one success after another continued to attend the advance of the invaders. The ist of September was with me a busy day ; among its inci- dents, receiving instructions from the War Office, special passport from the Foreign Office, letter of credit and necessary cash from agents, and lastly, taking leave of my beloved wife. Leaving Charing Cross by the 8.45 p.m. train, I arrived in Paris early the following morning. Later in the day, in obedience to orders, I reported my arrival to the British Embassy, presenting at the same time my official credentials. I was informed that an application would be made to the Ministry of War for a sauf conduit, to enable me to proceed and join the " Army of the Rhine" under Marshal MacMahon, at that time "somewhere between Verdun and Meziferes, on the left side of the Meuse." An impression was " in the air " that all was not well with that army, but beyond rumours more or less vague nothing seemed to indicate knowledge of actual events of the previous day, still in progress at, and in the vicinity of Sedan. Afternoon and evening brought more definite particulars ; telegrams from Meziferes announced that MacMahon was wounded, fugitives inundating that town, all communication with Sedan " interrupted " ; but to inquiries made in official quarters there was silence. We had observed that near the Gare du Nord large numbers of work- men were engaged on the fortifications in that direction. Within the walls bodies of armed men, some in uniform, many not, marched along the thoroughfares or were undergoing drill. As day advanced crowds assembled at corners ; pedestrians increased in number ; kiosks and windows presented caricatures, in execrable taste, of Prussians from king to peasant. The Champs Elys^es was comparatively deserted ; already it had an unkept appearance. Here and there a small group gazed at the performances of Punchinello ; a few equipages drove along its centre way. Agencies of various Socidtes des Secours aux Blesses had taken up positions in large buildings or open spaces ; from many windows and over entrances floated Red Cross flags. i87o Franco-Prussian War 233 At an early hour on the 3rd, Colonel Claremont, Military Secretary to the British Embassy, conducted me to the several offices, from one or other of which he expected that the necessary orders would be issued to enable me to carry out the mission assigned to me. Fail- ing to obtain those orders at one and all so visited, he made direct application to the Minister for War, but with no other result than an intimation that "the correspondence on the subject must pass through the ordinary routine, and in the meantime I must wait." It was evi- dent that something very unusual had taken place or was in progress ; the demeanour of the officials with whom we came in contact indicated the fact with sufficient clearness. Colonel Claremont was in all proba- bility made acquainted with the nature of the events in question, for as we separated, each to proceed his own way, his parting remark was, " I don't expect now that you will go much beyond Paris.'' The Champ de Mars forms a huge camp ground ; tentes abn, guns, waggons, tumbrils, horses, and men crowd the space so named. Infantry of the line there are in battalions, many of them undergoing the earlier stages of military drill, their style and general aspect far from realizing the British idea of what is soldier-like. The arrangement of the camp itself, including tents, matiriei, conveniences and neces- sities, slovenly and untidy. In its immediate vicinity the Seine was a washtub for the troops, many of whom were occupied in beating, scrubbing, and otherwise cleansing articles of their clothing in the edge of the stream. I lean over the parapet and observe the process. I am grasped by a soldier;^ others hurry to his aid ; I am captured, a prisoner. The spy mania is rampant. I am marched off as such, first to one "post," then to another ; passport and other official documents taken from me ; my escort increasing as we proceeded. It comprises cavalry, infantry, and gamins, the latter becoming more and more " demonstrative " in their be- haviour as we went, now shouting, ".^^ bas le Prussien !" "A bas Bismarck!" now laying hands roughly upon me, until it looks as if in their excite- ment things might fare badly with me. Arrived at a police station in the Rue Grenelle, I found myself deposited in the company of a very miscellaneous assortment of prisonniers, and there spent some two or three hours as best I could. At the end of that time my credentials were flung at, rather than given back to me ; the official of the place pointed to the door, and without deigning a look at me said, " Voild, I Allez" and so we parted. Naturally enough I was indignant, and on reaching my hotel declared my intention to report to our Representa- ' Of the lOth Infantry, corresponding to my old regiment. 234 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 live the episode through which I had passed ; but was quietly informed by others better acquainted than I then was with the state of affairs, that I need not trouble myself; he would do nothing in the matter. As evening wore on, rumours of the morning assumed the aspect of facts, terrible in their nature as they were unlooked for and unex- pected: the French had been hopelessly defeated at Sedan ; MacMahon wounded and a prisoner; the Emperor a prisoner; 40,000 men^ of his army prisoners ; no obstacle to delay, far less prevent, the ad- vance of the Prussians upon Paris. All was excitement along the streets and boulevards ; shouts were heard of " Dkhiance I " and " Five la R'epublique I" Doubts and fears were expressed as to- what on the morrow the fate of the Empress, who was still in the Tuileries, might possibly be. All through the following night there were sounds of movement in the streets : the tread of troops on the march, the heavy roll of guns, tumbrils, and waggons. In the Chamber of Deputies transactions were in progress the nature of which did not transpire till long after- wards, though the results were to be seen within the space of a few hours. Men, who till then had been ministers and other officials of the Emperor, declared shortly after midnight the Imperial regime had ceased ; ^ they elected from among themselves what was intended to be a " Governing Commission," and so discounted the events of the morrow. No wonder that such a self-chosen body failed to receive general acceptance, as indeed was scarcely to be looked for considering the many discordant political elements existing within the capital. From early morning of Sunday, the 4th, a dense and tumultuous crowd filled the Place de la Concorde ; in the Rue Royale and Fau- bourg St. Honord workmen were hauling down Imperial eagles and "N's," by which various public buildings were distinguished and orna- mented, the mob cheering them as they proceeded with their self- imposed work. The gates of the Tuileries gardens were open, the gardens of the palace filled with people ; down the Rue de Rivoli, and upwards towards the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs Elys^es, streams of people were in motion. Across the entrance to the bridge leading to the palace of the Corps Ldgislatif, a body of regular troops was drawn up with bayonets fixed. Down along the Champs Elys^es marched in cadence to beat of drum and note of bugle an imposing force of National Guards. Nearer and nearer they came ; greater and greater was the excitement in the crowd, including the small body of foreigners * In reality 80,000 men prisoners, and 200 guns lost. ^ The Resolution on the subject was proposed in the Corps Legislatif by M. Jules Favre. 1870] Franco- Prussian War 235 who, like myself, were irresistibly drawn to, and by curiosity held in the scene. A moment more and the two sets of forces must have been in actual collision with each other — with what consequences who could predict? Then were raised upon bayonet points the kdpis of the regulars, as from their ranks the shout burst forth, "Vive la Garde Nationakl" The latter instantly followed suit ; the shout of "Five la Ligne!" told us that fraternization was complete. The hall of the Legis- lature was immediately occupied by the bourgeois ; half an hour later the Government of the Defence was proclaimed in the Hotel de Ville. Armed men in blouses took the place of sentries of the Guard at the Tuileries ; the tricolour still waved above the central dome of the palace. The sympathy of us foreigners who mingled in the crowd was with the Empress, as we expressed to each other in subdued tones, our wonder as to the means by which her escape would be effected, or whether she was to fall into the hands of the masses, now wild with excitement as they yelled out "Dechiana / " " Vive la Nation I " " Vive la R'equblique !" interspersed with still more threatening ejaculations. That a Revolution had taken place, the Empire given place to the Republic, was evident ; the apparent ease with which that great change had been effected was matter of surprise to onlookers, and to the people by whom it was effected. In the Place de la Concorde the sergeants de ville were roughly handled, old scores paid off, in some few instances their lives taken ; the statues of Strasbourg and other cities were draped in crimson cloth ; then came along the quays bodies of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, not to open fire upon the revolutionary crowds, but in progress to the outskirts of the city. Long after the occurrence of the events just related, the circumstance transpired that arrangements had in anticipation been made to ensure the safety of the Empress. The passages of the palace and inner gates were occupied and otherwise protected by a considerable force of the Imperial Guard, so that as in their haste the crowd rushed in from the direction of the Place de la Concorde, they were moved on and on until they emerged from the palace into the Cour de Carrousel, where, finding themselves so far outmanceuvred, they stood irresolute. It was then that, taking advantage of their confusion, the escape of the Empress was effected by the aid of Prince Mettemich and Madame La Breton Bourbaki; whether with that of M. F. de Lesseps or not seems to be questioned. Vinoy at the head ot the 13th Army Corps arrives from Mezibes, his retreat therefrom, in face of the Germans flushed by victory at Sedan, looked upon as the most masterly performance yet achieved. His forces occupy camp in the Avenue de la Grande Armde, and 236 Thirty-nine Years in the Army I1870 thither crowds resort to see the men who had performed so successful a feat ; the order and regularity in all that concerns them indicating their training and discipline in strong contrast to what was so recently ex- perienced in the Champ de Mars. But chiefly was attention directed to certain mysterious objects carefully concealed by canvas coverings, but with an outline like that of artillery guns. These were mitrailleuses, from which great results were anticipated. To walls of houses and enclosures were affixed announcements that the Republic had been declared, and giving the names of those who now constituted the Provisional Government. Other notices similarly displayed contained appeals to patriotism on the part of the National Guards, and manhood of the capital, that they should rally to ' the rescue of La Patrie en Danger. Troops of the line marched in various directions, the object of the movements not apparent. Groups of men stood at intervals along the streets, the kepi as yet the only item of uniform worn by them. The tone of the press moderated from what had lately been ; it was evident that grave events threatened, the possible nature of which caused thinking people some anxiety. Cafes usually brilliantly lighted and crowded with customers became less so ; uniforms took the place of civilian costume at the small tables within and without. Outside the ramparts, houses and other buildings were in course of demolition. On the defences the work of repair and strengthening was in progress. Railway stations were crowded by people, — some en- deavouring to get away, together with their removable belongings; others to get all such property inside for comparative safety. Preparations for defence went on apace. Private carriages disap- peared, except such as were retained by special permission ; public con- veyances decreased in number, the horses belonging to them being requisitioned for public purposes. Women pedestrians were few ; scarcely a man to be seen on the streets, in shops, offices, and other establishments, but those who wore more or less complete uniform; those on the streets carrying rifles, side arms, or both. At night, and throughout the day, the sound of drum and bugle was incessant; here and there varied by the Marseillaise sung in stentorian voice. In the Place de la Concorde successive bodies of armed men paid homage before the statue of Strasbourg', gesticulating and vociferating as they did so, that emblem becoming concealed under the wreaths deposited upon it. Meanwhile, to prevent the Prussians from obtaining the game hitherto preserved for Imperial purposes, a public battue to take place at Compiggne was proclaimed. Men, to whom in the emergency arms were issued, increased 1870] Franco- Prussian War 237 numerically faster than did the means of providing them with uniform. Already did the circumstance suggest itself to many that by placing in the hands of the masses such means of offence, a source of possible danger to public safety was thereby created. That idea was speedily fostered by the occurrence of scenes of disorder in some localities by the men so armed ; by others no less suggestive, in which men " fraternized " with troops of the line over absinthe in cabarets. By the loth of the month the Prussian forces, 300,000 strong, were at Ligny, not more than twenty-five miles from the capital. The terms in which by certain journals appeals were made to the invaders were questionable in respect to dignity : on the one hand, if as " friends," offering friendship ; on the other, if as enemies, barricades and sewers transformed into mines to be exploded under them. M. Balbi proposed that portable fortresses, each of a strength equal to one hundred thousand men, should be sent against them ; other proposals for annihilation of the advancing armies were submitted to the authorities, and declared impracticable. During next few days information as to transactions was received with increasing vagueness, such items as seemed reliable only through English papers, and that not for long. Some of the classes, who in more peaceful times had willingly served in the ranks when " drawn," now expressed a desire to serve by substitute, if they could. Mobiles in great number arrived in Paris from the provinces. Public an- nouncements declared that so great was the devotion of the people to the Defence that the Lev'ee en Masse would leave the proportion of men at their homes as one to twenty-eight women. According to some pub- lished statements, the men already enrolled were more formidable in numbers than in quality ; the withdrawals from the city of those liable to service so numerous that special measures against them were pro- posed in respect to their civil rights and property. A report circulated to the effect that cartridges and other ammunition contained in ordnance stores had been seriously tampered with. It is Sunday. Fashionable resorts, including the Champs Elysdes and Gardens of the Tuileries, are crowded with men and women. Caf^s partially deserted a few days ago are now crowded. Booths of Punchinello are surrounded by knot of amused spectators, the style and demeanour of the people generally by no means such as might be looked for under the circumstances present and prospective. Mobiles recently collected from the provinces rush about irregularly wherever the crowds are thickest ; their rifles at the " trail " ; their bayonets fixed, — sources of danger to everybody. Streets and roadways show signs of neglect. News circulates that the Canal de I'Ourque 238 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 and some other conduits have been " cut " by the Germans, the fact being the first to indicate the near approach of the enemy. " Versailles has honourably capitulated." Such was the next intelli- gence to reach us. Confusion thereupon became general. A grand review of forces of the Defence of Paris forthwith ordered ; informa- tion circulated by authority that the several forts beyond the line of ramparts were fully armed and manned by sailors under command of their own proper officers. As extemporised battalions marched towards the general rendezvous they presented in their ranks two types of man- hood — the Parisian and the provincial : the former poor in physique, and undisciphned ; the latter, strong and active, but unacquainted with anything beyond elementary stages of military drill. A captive balloon established on Montmartre from which to observe the movements of the enemy. A furore of destruction suddenly set in, resulting in that of bridges, houses, and everything destructible on the immediate out- skirts of the city, including a considerable strip of the Bois de Boulogne. Stores and provisions were collected to enable Paris to withstand a siege of two months' duration, that being thought the limit to which such an emergency could extend, should it happen at all. Cattle and stock of all kinds were brought within the walls ; fodder and grain for them collected, and food of all kinds, available for human consumption, stored ; a census of " mouths " taken at the same time. Already had evils shown themselves as a result of billeting armed men on the people; huts were therefore prepared in the boulevards and other open spaces for the former. Disinclination was soon apparent in a suggestively large number of the men to occupy their proper places on parade. From the city there was reported exodus of men whose names were enrolled for military service. On the walls were posted codes of instructions as to the correct manner of loading rifles. Authority was given to the system now introduced whereby improvised battalions of National Guards elected their own officers — a system from which deplorable results were soon to arise. Gates along the hne of fortifications were now closed against traffic, except to persons bearing special permits. Musters taken of so-called " effective " combatants, prepared, according to declarations by them- selves, to defend the capital to the death, gave their number, including all classes * of troops, approximately at 400,000. Among us foreigners ' According to Regulations at that time in force, conscripts and volunteers for the line, having served therein seven years, or on attaining the age of twenty-nine years, passed thence to the Garde Mobile ; over that age they pass into the Garde Nationale. 1870 Siege of Paris 239 hints circulated that neither by Trochu nor other superior officer were hopes of ultimate success entertained, taking into account the kind of material so extemporised. M. Thiers had proceeded on his mission to the Governments of Europe ; hopes accordingly entertained that inter- vention by England, Russia, and Austria, singly or united, might be brought about. It was an open secret that sympathy of the principal leaders, civil and military, within the capital were more in favour of the past regime than of that now entered upon, their hopes that by some means or other restoration might be effected, a siege and probable bombardment averted. Those hopes were soon destroyed; informa- tion circulated that the terms on which further proceedings on the part of the Germans could be arrested, included such items as a heavy money indemnity,^ the retrocession of Alsace and Lorraine, as also of half the French fleet. In the streets and everywhere else within the city filth and otherwise objectionable matters had accumulated to a very unpleasant degree; means of conservancy and cleansing were deficient ; the atmosphere polluted by odours of decomposition. A separate police force to take the place of the Gens d'Armes extinguished on the day of Revolution had not yet been established ; crimes of violence were the more re- markable in their infrequency when that circumstance is taken into account, together with the heterogeneous elements of which the defen- sive forces were now composed, The plot thickens ; information reaches us which leaves no doubt but that Paris is encircled by the enemy. Within the city there is general commotion ; in battalions and smaller bodies newly raised levies march towards Vincennes ; trains of ambulance carriages wend their way in the same direction. Official notices affixed to walls direct that all men liable to military service should report themselves within twenty-four hours at the rendezvous of their respective corps, under penalty of being proceeded against as deserters. In striking contrast to all this turmoil was the sight of several elderly men and others calmly and peacefully fishing in the Seine ; their prize an occa- sional gudgeon two inches long or thereabout ! At this point some representatives of Great Powers quitted the beleaguered city with the intention of proceeding to Tours, where it was stated another Government than that of the capital was in process of A soldier of the line engages in the first instance for the term of seven years ; he may at its expiration re-engage for other seven or fourteen years. At the end of twenty-five years in the service he becomes entitled to a pension equal in amount to ninepence per day. * Five milliards of Francs ; equal to two hundred millions of pounds sterling. 240 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 formation. Among those who did so was the British Ambassador. The Consul of Paris had already proceeded on leave of absence, the out- come of the state of affairs so created being that upwards of two thousand persons claiming the rights and privileges of British subjects were left without official representative. Colonel Claremont, Military Secretary, to his great credit, speedily returned within the ramparts, and remained with the besieged until the defeat at Champigny left the question of capitulation a matter of only a few weeks to be decided. By no means did all the Foreign Representatives quit the capital. Among those who remained were the Minister and Consul-General of the United States ; the Ministers of Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Switzer- land, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. Neither did the Persian Ambas- sador withdraw from his official position in Paris. The corps of Sergeants de Ville is re-introduced ; itinerant musicians parade the streets, their favourite instruments the barrel-organ, harp, and violin ; beggars become numerous and demonstrative. Parties of Mobiles march excitedly, and in an irregular manner, in various direc- tions, no one knowing the why or wherefore of their movements ; some to the sound of drum and bugle, others without such instruments. A report circulates that outside the ramparts the members of that force fired upon each other instead of at the enemy ; they were said to have arrested their commander on the plea that he held communication with the Prussians. A tax was put upon meat and bread sold in shops ; supplies from without had all but ceased; Rentes were down to 54.15. The general demeanour of the masses in ill accord with the conditions in which their capital now was. From the day on which intelligence of the great defeat at Sedan reached Paris, a degree of enthusiasm became manifest among official classes and private individuals, in regard to arrangements for possible sick and wounded, which contrasted very favourably with the confusion and indecision in military affairs already recorded. The ordinary mili- tary hospitals under administration of the Intendance were equipped to their utmost extent; various large buildings fitted up as annexes thereto ; societies of various kinds, and pertaining to different nation- alities, established hospitals, or ambulances sedentaires as such places came to be called, at different points throughout the city; several clubs were similarly transformed, and numerous private families made what arrangements they could for the reception of sick or wounded men in case of emergency. The medical faculty of the capital volunteered their services in a body ; ladies devoted themselves to " ambulance " work in a manner and on a scale never before witnessed, while volun- teers as brancardiers gave their names in numbers beyond requirements i87o] Siege of Paris 241 even according to the most liberal estimates of probable casualties, Thus it came about that provision was complete for 37,000 patients. At a later period so numerous became the " nurses " that " to carry a brassard^ turned into a fashion ; young vioraea j>layed the nurse with wounded soldiers as little girls play the mother with their dolls." Many earnest women devoted themselves to the work, but that the remark just made was not without grounds was no less true. In some instances the declared object with which they undertook such work was to release men tlierefrom, so that they might join the active ranks in combat, or become ambulanciers. In other instances it was said of the ladies so employed that they restricted Xhtir performances to mere show, leaving all real work in the wards to men, but ready to accept credit really due to the latter. Instances occurred of wounded Frenchmen submitting a formal request to be moved to wards in which their attendants should be men only. Up to a certain time a halo of romance attached itself to the movement as a whole ; latterly the brightness of that " glory " became less dazzling. Unfortunately some of the larger ambulance establishments drew upon themselves suspicion ; a report circulated that while above them, as also some huts or barraques erected for similar purpose, waved the Red Cross flag, side by side with or in close proximity to them were stores for combatant purposes, — in at least one instance artillery ready equipped for battle. There were cynics who said that the profusion of Geneva flags on private houses was indicative of a desire on the part of the inmates to claim protection under that emblem^ as much as the wish to share their rapidly diminishing quantity of food and "comforts" with sick and wounded men. The fact that brancardiers were "neutral" by virtue of the brassard worn by them was considered by pessimists to account for the great popularity attached to the Corps of Ambu- lanciers as compared to the fighting battalions. Nor were there want- ing persons who expressed views that the entire system of " Socidtds des Secours " had in it the objection that by their means responsibility in respect to the care of sick and wounded soldiers was withdrawn from Governments concerned, and so war protracted beyond what would otherwise be possible. ' Red Cross badge worn on the arm. 242 Thirty-nine Years in the Army \^z^a CHAPTER XXVII 1870. SEPTEMBER. SIEGE OF PARIS An Alsacienne — Action at Chatillon — The dangerous classes — " Mourir pour lapatrie" — Contrasted conditions — Batteries open — Theatres and Louvre — Food and prices — More contrasts — Action at Villejuif — Again the Alsacienne — Historical sieges. AMONG the " ambulances " visited by me while being prepared for their intended purpose was one in the near vicinity of the Luxem- bourg Palace. A particular club was in process of transition accord- ingly; its members, socially distinguished in Parisian society, had arranged among themselves to undertake the entire management and work, professional and otherwise, in connection therewith, the female members of their respective families devoting themselves to the performance of such functions as pertained more properly to them. In a spacious apartment of that club-ambulance, a number of ladies were variously occupied in arranging articles of bedding, night-dresses, bandages, etc. Among them was one, an Alsacienne, young, fair, and so gentle in manner, that as she accompanied me through the several apartments about to become wards, I took leave to ask whether she had formed any idea as to the nature of the duties that might fall upon her in relation to wounded men, and, if so, whether she felt that she was physically capable of them. " Of course," so she said in reply, " she could not tell what those duties might be, or if she would be able to fulfil them ; but in such circumstances as now threatened, it was the duty of every one, man and woman ahke, to do their best, and she hoped to do hers." In the early hours of the 19th, the French forces, some 60,000 strong, occupying the heights of Meudon and Chatillon, were attacked, and driven away by the Germans. It subsequently transpired that although considerable numbers of the regular soldiers of the line stood their ground as became them, others, including some Zouaves, fled panic-stricken ; their example was quickly followed by the Mobiles, and so, as day advanced, great numbers of those classes were seen in 1870] Siege of Paris 243 flight along the great thoroughfares of the city, a few of them carrying their arms, but the great majority without weapons of any kind, shouting as they fled, " Nous sommes trahi ! " themselves saluted by the populace with cries of " Letches'' ^ The sight was a melancholy one, its tendency to impair whatever belief existed in regard to the success- ful issue of the defence now entered upon. Still later, ambulance carriages passed along the streets, bearing their loads of men wounded in this the first serious engagement in the near vicinity of the capital, the siege of which begins as a result of that action. As subsequently expressed by newspaper correspondents, there is little doubt that had the Prussians followed up the fugitives on this occasion they might with them have entered Paris. In the evening of that day the sound of shots fired in the streets was heard ; report spread that two thousand of " the dangerous classes " were abroad, a report so far confirmed that they were being marched under escort to the gates, and so expelled, to take their chances between the lines of besieged and besiegers. It was deemed unsafe for foreigners to appear, lest, being taken for Prussians, they might vicariously suffer for the success of the morning. Cafds and such places were ordered to close early; a declaration published that persons convicted of pillage should be held liable to death penalty. The discovery was made that telegraphic communication with the outer world was cut off. Under all these circumstances there existed an impression that the risks to life had been lessened to those within the city by the repulse sustained by our " defenders " in the morning. On September 21 was celebrated in Paris the outbreak in 1792 of the Republic, and massacre of French nobles. Placards declared that the successors of men of that day will prove themselves worthy of their ancestors ; other affiches expressed determination to resist to the death, to accept no armistice, to yield neither a stone of a fortress nor an inch of tenitory. In the Place de la Concorde a battalion of the Garde Nationale presented arms to the statue of Strasbourg, sang in chorus the Marseillaise, decorated the emblem itself with floral wreaths; having done so, they marched away ! Soon there came a body of " patriots "; their task to drape the figures of Marseilles and Lyons in red, in token of the Republic declared at both those places. Along the Rue Rivoli came a battaUon of newly-enrolled citizen soldiers, their destination said to be the front. At the head of the column marched ' Of the MobUes billeted in the hotel where 1 resided, some re-entered quietly smoking their pipes or cheroots. One of them remarked that he had fired three shots against the enemy ; but as his companions bolted, he did not see the fun, as he expressed It, of remaining to be killed. 244 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 in gorgeous and picturesque costume a cantinifere. The men's rifles were decorated with evergreens ; accompanying them were their wives and children, all in tears ; the brave men loudly singing, " Mourir pour la patrie." As they reached the Rue Royale an affecting and sad parting was witnessed; the column resumed its march, but now in silence; but, as subsequently transpired, not to come in conflict with the enemy. A strange contrast between conditions was now observa,ble. Con- siderable numbers of the fugitives from Chatillon were marched along some thoroughfares, their coats turned outside in, their hands tied behind them, the word " Ldche " placarded on their backs. Masses of men, including old and young, the strong, decrepid and malformed, gathered in front of the Hotel de Ville, and along the boulevards ex- tending thence to the Place de la Bastille. After a time the crowds dispersed, but the reason alike of their gathering and of their dispersion did not then transpire. "^ Meanwhile, the aspect of the boulevards was bright and gay with women fashionably dressed, and men in uniform ; the cafds crowded, their inmates laughing and joyous. At the kiosks people eagerly purchased papers of the day, and laughed ^ the caricatures of Germans, executed in even worse style, if that were possible, than anything previously seen. In the Champs Elys^es goat carriages and merry-go-rounds, Mobiles playing games of sorts, nursery maids neglecting their charges, men squabbling, songs, patriotic and ribald, half-drunken men everywhere. Events developed rapidly. The sound of heavy guns at different points around the outskirts told its own tale. The heaviest firing came from the direction of Meudon. Crowds of people gathered at the Trocadero, and there watched for explosions of Prussian shells as they burst in mid air or crashed through the leafy woods adjoining the Seine, though at some distance from the city. A balloon dispatched from within glided westward at an elevation beyond the reach of Prussian fire ; the balloon, as we subsequently learned, being guided by M. Nadar, who, while passing over their camp, dropped showers of his own advertisements among them. Now the theatres were in some instances turned to another purpose than that of mere amusement ; they were transformed into ambulances, the male portion of the usual performers taking their places in the fighting ranks, the ladies adopting the brassard as nurses. Another significant incident was the barricading of doors and windows of the Louvre Museum, a number of water reservoirs being prepared near it, in case of fire, and with evident regard to possible bombardment. ' The object of the demonstration was to demand that municipal elections should be immediately proceeded with. i87o] Siege of Paris 245 The inhabitants of villages within the line of investment were ad- mitted inside the ramparts ; there they became established as so many communities, each under its own administration. Conditions, present and prospective, pointed to the necessity of systematising the issue of food stores; meat was unobtainable at butchers' establishments and restaurants. A register was established on which was inscribed the names and residence of persons authorized to remain within the walls, these numbering two millions, exclusive of douches inutiles already expelled. From academies and medical schools students enrolled themselves as artillerymen and ambulanciers. So popular was the last-named corps that many fictitious " members " were soon arrested for bearing its brassard. In some instances it was said of citizen " soldiers " that they showed small desire to take post in advanced positions ; in a few, that Gardes Nationaux and Mobiles objected to proceed beyond the barriers. While on the one hand certain enthusiasts endeavoured to set on foot a League of Peace, others proposed schemes of mutual assur- ance against casualties incidental to a state of siege. Still went on the work of destroying emblems and changing the names of streets associ- ated with that of Napoleon. A proposal was made to strip from the column in the Place Vendome the historical scenes on its metal casing, and utilise the bronze for purposes of defence. Wives of workmen on barricades and other defences might be seen carrying the implements of their husbands, while the latter lounged about un- encumbered, and in all respects unlike earnest ouvriers. In the long hours of inactivity that intervened between short periods of indifferent work, tongues and idle hands became in their respective ways so demonstrative that, as a counterpoise, a series of cheap perfor- mances " for the benefit of the masses " was organized. In the pages of Le Combat was a proposal that a subscription list should be opened, with a view to present a fusil d^honneur to the man who should shoot the King of Prussia, the subscriptions to be limited to five sous per person. Prussian helmets were offered for sale in such numbers that people asked each other how far off was their place of manufacture. Ten days elapsed since the Prussians gained their position on the heights of Chatillon. Meanwhile it would seem that beyond slight combats nothing of importance occurred between besieged and besiegers. Rumour ran that " the people " — within Paris — demanded to be led against the enemy by whom their city was surrounded, while the daily journals advocated such a demonstration, if for no other object than to quiet such of the disaffected as declaimed against the past inaction. On September 30 a combined force of the line, artillery, cavalry, 246 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1S70 National Guards and Mobiles, said to number in all 10,000 men, attacked the Prussi3.ns at Villejuif, where at first they were successful. At another point, however, — namely, Choisy-le-Roi, — the result of the incautious rush made by them was unfortunate to themselves ; they sustained heavy loss in killed and wounded, — General Guilhdm being among the former, — and were constrained to withdraw behind the adjoining forts. During the interval between those actions I visited several ambu- lances, containing considerable numbers of wounded, and now much added to by those from the sortie just mentioned. Among those visited was the one near the Luxembourg Palace already noticed. But the Alsacienne was no longer there. On the fatal day of Chatillon, among the wounded carried thither from the field was an officer whose injury was of the gravest nature. To him was assigned an apartment ; he was placed under sole charge of the young nurse, whose first patient he thus became. Night closed in ; the surgeons attended to his injuries ; then patient and "nurse" were left together. With return of daylight came the morning visit. On the bed lay stiff and cold what had been the wounded man ; kneeling beside the bed, her face buried in the sheets, herself in a state of catalepsy, was the nurse, her condition so sad and extreme that she was straightway taken to her friends, with whom, as subsequently transpired, she long remained an invalid. All of us recognised the fact that the attendant conditions of a siege were upon us, that with regard to their future course everything was uncertain. Under such circumstances we read with interest a resume of the history of past sieges of Paris, published apparently for our encouragement in one of the morning journals.^ It appears that Paris has undergone seven different sieges; namely, in a.d. 856-7, by the Normans, for thirteen months, at which date its population numbered 60,000 persons ; on that occasion, though the besiegers committed great destruction in its immediate environs, they were ultimately obliged to withdraw. In 970, the Emperor Otho II., with 60,000 troops, appeared before its walls ; but he was routed by King Lothaire, and pursued as far as Soissons. In 1359 Charles of Navarre blockaded the city, and tried to reduce it by famine ; the population suffered intensely, but in the end, Charles, learning of the approach of relieving armies, raised the siege, and with his forces withdrew. In November of the same year, Edward III. of England invaded France with 100,000 men, and marched on Paris the following spring. At that ' La Cloche. i87o] Siege of Paris 247 time Paris contained 200,000 inhabitants. During the siege, which lasted three months, they suffered the horrors of famine, but the troops of Edward, having devastated all the surrounding country, became themselves short of provisions, and were consequently compelled to withdraw. A century later, the English, under Edward IV., who be- came possessed of the city, were attacked by Charles VII., whom they had before driven to Bourges, and Joan of Arc was wounded at the head of a storming party. Finally the French were repulsed. For seven years Paris was " between the hammer and the anvil," till at last the citizens revolted against the exactions of the English, and let the French into the place. In 1589, at which time Henry IV. laid claim to the throne of France, the king's army attacked the Faubourg St. Germain ; after which the siege was raised for a few months, to be renewed in 1590. On that occasion the siege lasted eighty-five days; namely, from May 30 to August 23. The populace were reduced to such straits that animals of all kinds, clean and unclean, were slaughtered ; soldiers chased children, and put them to death as food ; bones were dug up and prepared as path ; an instance related of a woman who devoured some of the flesh of her own offspring, and shortly afterwards died mad — and no wonder. At the end of that time the approach of the Duke of Parma forced Henry to raise the siege. In 18 14 and in 1815 the city capitulated without a battle. The seventh siege is now in progress. It is for us to fulfil our destiny to the best of our ability. 248 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 CHAPTER XXVIII 1870. OCTOBER. SIEGE OF PARIS Ceinture Railway — Advanced post — First Prussian — St. Cloud Palace — Historical associations — Signs of the times — Balloon and pigeon post— Ze don Anglais — British Charitable Fund — Two emergencies — Defences and workmen — Superior officers — Other officers — Rank and file — Federals — Extemporized "troops" — Francs Tireurs — Amazones de la Seine — Council of Hygiene — Sortie on Mal- maison — The days following — Excursion to Boulogne — Stirring events — Minor measures — Numerous sick and wounded. EARLY in October two ^ of us proceeded some way by Ceinture Railway, the more conveniently to see conditions beyond the walls. The Bois de Boulogne was sadly transformed in- aspect ; trees recklessly cut down, flower beds destroyed, troops already established in camps, others preparing for themselves bowers of branches, while from Mont Valdrien the frequent recurring boom of heavy guns told of missiles directed therefrom upon strong positions of the enemy on the heights of Meudon. "Descending at Porte Montrouge, it was with some difficulty we obtained permission from the Etat Major to go outside that part of the fortifications. Proceeding alotig what once had been the road to Bicfetre, we came upon and passed a succession of barricades. On either side of our route were gardens and fields now laid waste, hamlets and villages deserted, houses dilapidated, and in many instances destroyed, the better to clear the way for artillery fire upon our besiegers; at short intervals a thin layer of earth concealed a torpedo. Still further towards the front, outlying sentries of the con- tending forces exchanged stray shots with each other. At Arcueil the Dominican College, transformed to an ambulance, was filled with wounded men. Among them was a German soldier, he belonging to the 23rd Infantry, the first of the enemy with whom, so far, we had become acquainted. He was not only well cared for, but petted by those around him, and, to judge by expression, was well • Mr. Whitehurst, of the Daily Telegraph, and myself. i87o] Siege of Paris 249 contented with his surroundings. In course of our trip we came upon various parties of troops of the line marching to their front; for already we were within range of the Prussian needle gun. In one of those parties was a mad upon whose knapsack was perched a cat, which . clung to its position as best it could. It was probably the creature the man loved best. On another occasion of an excursion by the Ceinture we witnessed the conflagration by which the palace of St. Cloud utterly perished. From various positions artillery fire was continuous. As we watched, first a mass of dense smoke, then of lurid flame, burst from the edifice, and speedily the whole was in a state of ruin. Subsequently it was said that to the French themselves was due this great mishap ; whether by intention or accident did not transpire. Among the historical associations copnected with that palace the following may be noticed: In it on July 29, 1589, Henry III. was murdered by the monk Jacques Cldment ; Henrietta of Orleans died ; Peter the Great was received by the Regency in the time of Louis XIV. There was signed the capitulation of Paris in 1815 ; Queen Victoria was received by Napoleon III. in 1855 ; and in 1870 the Declaration of War against Prussia was signed. Strangely enough, the table used on the last-named occasion was among the few articles saved from the conflagration just witnessed. Signs of the times multiplied apace. Sounds of firing by heavy guns became more and more distinct and continuous, conversation turning upon the circumstance as if it were an ordinary though interesting subject. Precautions against incendie were pressed on. Demonstra- tions of various kinds took place in the different parts of the city, the people composing them comprising numbers of those from Belleville and Mobiles bearing arms. At most of them the Marseillaise with other patriotic music mingled with denunciations against the besiegers, against whom, however, those who most loudly denounced seemed to consider further personal action unnecessary. Nor did the Provisional Government escape their declamations, the expressions against it being in some instances no less strong than those against the Prussians. A post by balloon and the employment of carrier pigeons had been already introduced, the first for the dispatch of communications, the second for their conveyance to the authorities within the city. The first so brought in was a Proclamation by Gambetta, who had by means of aerial transit proceeded to Tours. By photography it was reduced to a minimum size, and so attached to a pigeon ; by a reverse method it was enlarged, and so made legible. Throughout the remain- ing period of the siege letters were regularly dispatched by balloon to 250 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 those dear to me ; but weeks had to elapse before intimation from the outside world was received. "^ The arrival of Colonel Lloyd Lindsay in the middle of October as bearer of ^^20,000, a donation from England to the sick and wounded in Paris, was an important event. He entered the city in the uniform of his rank. The spy mania was still strong ; he was captured as such, and underwent various unpleasant experiences notwithstanding the philanthropic character of his mission. By order of General Le Flo, Minister of War, I became a member of the Committee appointed to distribute "le don Anglais," and fulfilled the duty as best I could. Looking back through the vista of many years doubts occur as to the actual amount of good effected by that don. While it was in process of distribution, jealousies were expressed among institutions ^ to which portions of it were given, while among various classes of persons the remark was heard, " It is all very well to send us money, but France expected aid of another and more active kind." Nor were the French singular in the views expressed, if information subsequently gained is correct. Those who, as already alluded to, claimed rights and privileges as British subjects had to be seen to by countrymen able to afford partial help in the circumstances of the time. Previous to the departure ot their Representative, intimation was sent to them that they also were at liberty to quit the threatened city ; but if they preferred to remain, they ^ The following form is that of letters permitted to be so dispatched : — Paris, le 187 PAR BALLON MONTE M Placer id le timbre-poste, Affranchissem\ France ei A Igerie : 20 centimes. Stranger: taxe ordinaire. '^ The fact transpired that certain ambulances were established rather for the advantage of their fondateurs than the good of sick and wounded. Others acted altogether independently, but had neither personnel nor materiel to fit them for their professed purpose. With such at were allied to military hospitals it was sufficiently easy to deal and adjust ; not so with the others alluded to. i87o] Siege of Paris 251 did so on their individual responsibility. So stringent were orders left with regard to the "British Charitable Fund" that help therefrom could only be given under authority of that Representative, and it impossible to obtain after his departure. As expressed by some of the persons alluded to, "What could they do by quitting Paris? All their possessions were in the city ; so were their homes ; if they were to die of starvation, better do so there than away, shelterless and wanderers among strangers and possibly enemies. Their means of obtaining or earning income had for the time being ceased ; unless aided by compatriots, they must perish." An extemporized Board of Assistance ^ obtained for and distributed among them help, and tu those suffering from illness professional aid. But in all this the official element had no part. ■ The current of events had made two points clear : the first that in the annihilation of her army at Sedan, France was subjected to an emergency not calculated upop or provided against ; the second, equally unforeseen, that a powerful army was rapidly strengthening , an investing circle around her capital. Such measures as were adopted under the com- bined circumstances must needs be taken on the spur of the moment, and from materials ready at hand, these facts to be borne in mind by those of us who were mere lookers-on.^ Works of defence included the strengthening of forts and ramparts already existing; the erection of barricades, and other operations incidental to conditions at the time existing. Workmen unused to such requirements had to be employed, the results being disproportion between labourers numerically and in their performances, alike in quantity and in quality. Much of their time was spent in trifling, in "demonstrations," in drinking, singing, and fighting with comrades who had joined the ranks as " soldiers " ; others of them were loud in demands for arms, though, as subsequently shown, those given to them were misused. The general result of these conditions was that when October had came to an end defensive works were still incomplete. The line of action, and of what was looked upon as inaction by some of the higher military officers, was subject of talk and com- ' Composed of Sir Richard Wallace, Honourable Allan Herbert, Dr. Shrimpton, Sir John Rose Cormack, and the Rev. S. Smyth. * How strangely similar the circumstances alluded to to those of Prussia in the early years of the 19th century 1 Then " Prussia had made no provision for defeat. Her fortresses, though garrisoned, were ill commanded and unprepared for serious- resistance. Passion and sentiment had dictated her war, in which prudence and foresight had no part. Her territory was reduced to a fragment, her army to a mere residue." — Quarterly Review, October, 1893, page 425. 252 Thirty-nine Years in the Army •, [1870 ment. Of the Governor ^ it was said that in these respects his policy was enigmatical ; his sympathies were more with the deposed Emperor than towards the Republic, holding communication with the Empress and her enemies, but abandoning her in her time of greatest difficulty. Little fitted to conduct the duties of a leader; more able to detect administrative faults than to remedy them; vacillating in opinion; liable to adopt the views of the latest speaker in an interview ; making promises which he left unfulfilled ; substituting phrases for action ; circulars and proclamations for force of arms ; his demeanour between opposing factions so equivocal that he was doubted and mistrusted by all. Having little confidence in the "armed men" under his command, and in ultimate success of the defence, his object in con- tinuing it was that he might so "maintain the honour of France." Disbelieving in the continuance of the Republic, his hopes were in restoration of the deposed Emperor : an event towards which the policy of Bazaine at Metz was deemed likely to conduce. Towards his officers, personal feelings rather than public considerations dictated his demeanour; thus his supersession of Vinoy by Ducrot at Chatillon was considered to have led to misfortune on that occasion, as ill- feeling towards Bellemere did subsequently at Le Bourget. It was said of another general officer that on September 4 he was in command ■of the line at the Corps Legislatif, who fraternized with the National Guards, and on the 19th abandoned his position at Chatillon, re- entering Paris with other fugitives. That among staff and other officers were men whose reputation stood high was acknowledged. But an impression was abroad that the former class were so numerous that individual efficiency was thereby impaired, while battalions suffered in consequence of their withdrawal. That there were some who scarcely gave the impression of efficiency was no less apparent. These were to be seen lounging about cafi^s and boulevards, usually in exaggerated uniform and trappings, their hands encased in manchons? On the line of march towards advanced positions, the frequency with which a few of the latter resorted to the artistes who acted as vivandiires was subject of not admiring wonder to foreigners who looked on. While in actual movement the process of electing their officers was gone through by some battalions of ■"Federals." On such occasions, political considerations seemed to out- weigh those of military efficiency. Men have been seen soliciting votes with bottle in hand ; in some instances men ■" elected " refused to accept the distinction ; in others, altercations were to be seen between individuals. 1 See (?«<«>-;-« life 1870-1871, Paris. Pa?- Alfred Duquet. ^ Muffj. i87o] Siege of Paris 253 The rank and file of the "defenders" were more formidable in numbers than efficiency. It was felt that in creating such a force arms of precision were placed in the hands of men belonging to recognised " dangerous classes," nor was the difficulty that might possibly arise in getting from them again those arms unperceived by responsible authorities. Subsequent events sufficiently proved it would have been better for Paris and for France had such a force not been organized, had terms of peace been arranged prior to the calling together of " Federal " elements. With the exception of relatively small numbers of the old army and marines, the defence was to be carried out by levies, of whom it was said that " they comprised the old and the young j the hale and the lame, gamblers, and the disturbers of the peace." These elements thrown together promiscuously were formed into battalions, but otherwise they were without cohesion or affinity. Of the regular cavalry, the numbers available for service were small, not exceeding some 5,000 men, and not all these were employed in the face of the enemy. The artillery was made up in part of regular soldiers of that branch, partly of marines, and partly of Mobiles ; thus it presented the two extremes of excellence and non-efficiency — the old soldiers presenting the former of these characteristics, those newly drafted into the ranks the latter. The Zouaves, of whose achievements we were already accustomed to hear so much, and from whom so much was expected, failed altogether to fulfil those anticipations ; in some instances showing defection and panic in the face of the enemy, in others such feeble resistance that they came to be looked upon as useless against trained soldiers inured to battle. The National Guard ^ was distinct from the army proper ; it had its own laws and code of regulations. The Mobile Guard was assimi- lated to the active army for purposes of pay and discipline — Uke the line, organized in distinct battalions. While the German forces were at a considerable distance from the capital, several corps of Mobiles were brought thither from the provinces. No sooner had the Republic been declared than several of their members were among the first of the insurgents to force their way into the Tuileries, from which the escape of the Empress had not yet been effected. When, immediately thereafter, orders were issued within Paris for the enrolment of such troops, those orders were obeyed to a partial extent onlyj evasions were frequent, desertions numerous. If in their ranks there were some trustworthy men, report stated that there was also a dangerously ^ The militia force so-called comprised the Garde Nationale Sedentaire, and Mobiles, the first named having its own " organization," if such a term is applicable, the last being affiliated to the regular army. 2 54 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 large proportion of fugitives from justice, and of the criminal classes. Subsequent experience proved that such elements were more ready to declare for the Commune than to face the besiegers ; that when led to the front they speedily withdrew therefrom, although on such occasions their casualties were nil. To many of the extemporized troops the declaration of the Republic was looked upon as giving them the right to trangress law and order, to claim whatever they chose at the moment to desire, but to give nothing in return. Fraternizing with the worst elements of Belleville and Vilette, they early joined them in demonstrations against existing government ; and being billeted upon the civil population, evil in- fluences were spread from class to class, to the serious danger of public administration. Various corps of Francs Tireurs were extemporised. With regard to them as a body, it has been said that for the most part the men were bad soldiers, acting according to their individual pleasure; marauders not only with regard to the enemy, but to the French, whom they were supposed to assist. By the Germans they were looked upon as assassins, and dealt with accordingly, whenever they fell into the hands of our besiegers. It is true that among them there were good men, but so relatively small their numbers that their influence upon the general morale was imperceptible. There was at least one corps among them whose bearing and efficiency was unquestionable, namely, Franchetti's Eclaireurs d Cheval de la Seine; but, unfortunately for them, their gallant commander fell in battle before the operations were nearly over. As a body, the reputation accorded to the Francs Tireurs was that they fled before small bodies of the Germans, by whom in consequence they were looked upon with contempt. A movement of very unusual kind was suggested, and although never carried out deserves to be noticed in these reminiscences. The intended movement was none other than a demand on the part of a number of women that in the first place they should be granted " social solidarity," whatever that may mean; and in the second, should be drafted into a series of battalions, armed and clothed suitably to their sex ; that those battalions should have the designation from one to ten of the " Amazones de la Seine " ; that they should " man " the ramparts, and so take the places of battalions proceeding more to the front.^ A Council of Hygiene was early organized to take upon itself the ' It will be remembered that on the outbreak of mutiny among the sepoys at Dinapore, it was contemplated to arm the " Amazones " of the loth Regiment of Foot, and that men had every confidence in their fighting qu^ilities. 1870] Siege of Paris 255 various duties relating to public health, that is so far as it could be pro- tected under the circumstances in which the city was placed. The gradually diminishing food supplies, including milk, produced evil effects in the aged, the very young, and the sick ; ordinary diseases incidental to the season of the year increased in prevalence, while smallpox did so to an extent which ultimately merited the name of a pestilence. Vaccination- became compulsory, and it was a somewhat amusing sight, even under the conditions of the time, to see whole battalions of citizen soldiers being marched to the ifecole de Mddecine, there to undergo that operation. An important sortie ^ against Prussian positions on the west of Paris took place on October 21, the first on a large scale that had as yet been made. The several ambulances established within the city dis- patched to the field no fewer than two hundred carriages of sorts in anticipation of a severely contested battle. Among them were eight from the American, situated in the Avenue de I'lmp^ratrice, the car- riages well and elegantly built, each horsed by four high-bred animals from the stables of wealthy Americans, the personnel in smart uniform, the matkriel provided on a most liberal scale, the whole in a state of completeness for its expected work. As the cavalcade stood, drawn up in regular order, all eyes were turned towards Mont Valdrien, from which three guns fired in quick succession were to be the signal for the general advance. About noon the appointed signal was given. Away started, in their assigned order, the line of carriages; down by the Avenue de la Grande Armde towards Port Maillot, they went at rapid pace, attracting the admiration of pedestrians, many of whom waved their hats in token thereof. Arrived at Courbevoie, the appointed rendezvous of the ambulance services, we ^ were directed by an Intendant to take up position on a vine-clad ridge behind Mont Valdrien, midway be- tween Reuil and Bougeval, towards both of which places the active forces were advancing. Two French batteries in our immediate front opened fire upon the enemy ; one of the two, consisting of mitrailleuses- being so directed as to sweep the valley that intervened between the ridges on which were respectively posted the guns of besiegers and besieged. Across that valley, but partly hidden by vine bushes, a strong infantry force of Germans was in progress towards us, while stretching away on our right battalions were making progress towards the enemy. The fight quickly became developed, artillery and infantry fire from contending sides becoming increasingly rapid and destructive. That ' Under the command of General Ducrot. 2 I was with the Americans on this occasion. 256 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 from the batteries close to our position, though less regular than what in actions in the Mutiny campaign we had opportunities of observing as directed against the rebels, was so to a degree beyond what we had been led to expect, considering the materials of which the defending and extemporized forces were composed. The mitrailleuses were new to us, hence their performances were observed with all the greater interest ; the general impression left upon us that their destructiveness in the open fell short of anticipations. In our immediate vicinity and along the line of combat, casualties became so numerous that the best energies of our ambulanciers were fully taxed. The approach of even- ing told that hostilities must soon cease. Our carriages now filled with wounded, sixty-four in all were collected, and so began their journey back towards Paris. It was dark when we re-entered the gate by which a few hours earlier we had emerged ; the great thoroughfare towards the Arc de Triomphe was .dimly lighted by oil lamps, for the manufacture of gas had ceased with the expenditure of reserve coal. From the crowds at Port Maillot came loudly expressed inquiries for friends who perchance might be among our wounded. As we continued our progress, people formed dense lines on either side of the broad avenue ; hats were respectfully raised ; our further progress was between rows of uncovered heads — a touching and spontaneous mark of appreciation and deference to the Red Cross establishments of which we were members. The results to the French of this great sortie were unfortunate, the casualties on their side very heavy. Among the subjects of those casualties were an ex-consul at Stettin, two popular landscape painters, and a sculptor, all of whom fought in the ranks as private soldiers. The events during the next few days were in their several ways characteristic of the time and circumstances. The press boasted that seventy German soldiers had been captured at, and brought into the city from, the late battle, while rumour ran that the captives were cast into the ordinary prisons, there to associate with the criminal popula- tion of such places. Seasonal cold was rapidly increasing in severity ; the supply of fuel giving way, the issues of food, already under strict supervision, were still more rigidly superintended ; the quantities allowed per ration curtailed, not only in respect to persons in health, but for the sick and wounded. The explosion of an establishment devoted to the manufacture of Orsini bombs caused a good deal of injury to life and property, at the same time that the attention of the authorities was thereby drawn to the circumstance that those implements were being prepared on an extensive scale, but for use within the walls, rather than against the enemy still beyond the lines of fortification. The diminish- ing supply of materials for the manufacture of gunpowder directed 1870] Siege of Paris 257 attention to the catacombs as a possible source whence in greater emergency saltpetre might be obtained. Between National and Mobile Guards quarrels occurred from the circumstance that the former were employed only on the fortifications, while the latter were sent to the front, there to engage against the enemy. As the readiest way of solving the difficulty it was ordered that "the citizen soldiers should in their turn be taken beyond those lines, in order that they might be gradually accustomed to the sight of the enemy." An excursion to the village of Boulogne brought me face to face with an incident new to me in " civilized " warfare. That small town, once the favourite resort of visitors, was now reduced to utter dilapidation ; its ordinary occupants fled ; its ruins giving shelter more or less com- plete to defending troops; its streets barricaded; garden and other walls loopholed. Through some of those loopholes sentries took aim at isolated Germans, as the latter came into view among the woods in which they were posted ; at others, a sentry for a small " tip " handed his rifle to a stray visitor to have a shot at le Prusse. It was not long, however, before a rattle of rifle bullets on the wall put a stop to this kind of " sport." From Val^rien and other forts heavy continuous firing went on, their missiles directed upon particular points of the German position, where siege batteries were in course of erection for possible bombardment of our city ; from those positions an equally active shell- fire upon French outposts went steadily on. Among the minor events of the time, one was the addition of several battalions of Federals to those already existing. Another, an attempt made to suppress the extent to which cantiniferes had come to march at the head of battalions. The grounds of that attempt included the fact that in all instances such followers were young girls, many of them little more than children, who were thus exposed to temptation while beyond the observation and care of their parents or other guardians. For once in a way our besiegers appear to have been taken unawares. At Le Bourget, towards the end of October,^ a small body was success- fully attacked by Francs Tireurs and Mobiles. But their success was of brief duration. Report circulated that reinforcements applied for by Bellemere were refused by Trochu, that refusal the outcome of per- sonal feeling. Be that as it may, an attack in force was speedily delivered by the Germans ; the position carried,^ with great slaughter of the occupants. There was consternation in Paris. All through the 31st the streets were in a state of turmoil. Masses of people, the great majority armed, marched towards the Hotel de Ville; that building 1 On 28th. 2 On 30th. 258 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 surrounded by them ; the members of the Defence made prisoners ; cries of " Vive la Commune ! " interspersed with yells, and clarion blasts everywhere; the Commune was in fact declared. But not for long. The 1 06th Battalion of National Guards forced their way through the insurgents, rescued the Government, and so saved the capital from scenes which were to disgrace it four months later on, in which scenes the same battalion was to play so iniquitous a part. The extent to which sickness prevailed within the city had become alarming. Accommodation and other necessities for the suffering were severely taxed; for although regular combats between the opposing forces were not frequent, the results from collisions of daily occurrence, and of almost continuous fire from the batteries of the enemy, were a large influx of wounded men. Funeral processions along the cold sloppy streets were of constant occurrence. Certain maladies, among them small-pox, prevailed to a great and fatal extent. As if to em- phasize these conditions, news circulated that Metz had capitulated ; ^ a large portion of the investing force thus set free on its way to increase that of the besiegers around Paris. So ended the month. * Namely, on the 27th. i87o] Siege of Paris 259 CHAPTER XXIX 1870. NOVEMBER. SIEGE OF PARIS Le Jour des Morts — Requiem — Political excitement — Conditions within the city — Progress of affairs — Porte St. Denis — Intended sortie — Battle of Champigny — Night on the field. IE Jour des Morts was devoted to visiting the cemetery of Pfere la _/ Chaise. That vast city of the silent was more than usually crowded with mourners and other visitors. Recently covered graves were numerous; around many such stood sorrowing relatives and friends, some of whom placed thereon wreaths or other tokens of affection; around others stood similar groups, some of whom re- decorated tombs of those longer numbered among the dead. The assembled crowds were grave and demure, as befitted the occasion. At intervals the sound of heavy guns came as if floating on the air. On reaching the higher ground within the cemetery, the sharp ping of German rifle shots came sharply and often, as the missiles passed over- head or fell among us ; for it seemed as if they were directed upon the mourners by the more advanced posts of the besiegers out of a spirit of wantonness — not unlike, it must be confessed, that already shown by French sentries and others at Boulogne. But "it was not war" in either instance. A requiem mass in the Madeleine for victims of the war up to that date was a most impressive service. That beautiful church, draped in black for the occasion, was filled to crowding by men and women, be- longing to all social grades, those of the higher classes wearing deep mourning, all having lost members of their families on the field of battle, or by disease which had already assumed the character of pestilence; in near proximity to the altar sat some few mutilated men, who had so far escaped with their lives. While the service was in progress, the rich music of the recently erected organ, then used for the first time, was broken in upon from time to time by the sound of heavy artillery from the outer forts. During the address delivered by the Abb^ Deguerry 26o Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 the same accompaniment continued. In less than four months there- after the venerable and respected Abbd was numbered among the victims of the Commune.* Political excitement was rampant within the city ; serious outbreak by the inhabitants of Belleville and Vilette was dreaded ; but on the result being declared of elections rendered necessary by recent events at the Hotel de Ville, the disturbing elements accepted for a time the defeat thereby given to their cause, and gradually became less demonstrative in behaviour. But not for long. The publication of orders for reorgani- zation of the National Guard was immediately followed by renewed disturbances in those localities, from neither of which did men volun- teer for the ranks in obedience to the call do so ; some battalions, already including members from those quarters, refused to take their turn of duty on the ramparts, declaring their intention to plunder the city if such orders were persisted in. The difficulties of the existing Government had become very great. Public loans for purposes of the defence were called for and subscribed. Negotiations were carried on for an armistice, whether with or without ravitaillement. These proved unsuc- cessful ; * but, as events were subsequently to show, acceptance of the terms of Bismarck, hard as they were, would have saved much suffering and loss of human life. Winter weather rapidly advanced ; strong winds, rain, and sleet gave way to snow and bitter frost. Clothing had to be supplemented in various ways ; skins of animals slaughtered were utilised, and articles of various kinds " converted " in a manner heretofore unknown. Fuel had become scarce. The public markets were bare of all things eatable ; horses and other draught animals belonging to private individuals were requisitioned ; licences issued by the municipality to official classes and others permitted to retain and draw rations for particular specified num- bers ; an embargo was placed upon the small fish already mentioned as furnishing sport for anglers on the Seine. AH persons were placed on the universal ration scale,^ but " the poor " had the additional advan- tage of gratuitous meals provided at certain places by mairies. The more respectable classes refused to so declare themselves ; the conse- quence was that little, if any, advantage in the way of free meals reached them, whereas the disturbing elements of Belleville and Vilette reaped the full advantages of the scheme, while the classes alluded to became gradually reduced to direst poverty and privation. The wounded in- ' According to a tablet erected in the Madeleine : " Mort pour la Foi et la Justice, en la Prison de la Roquette le XXIV Mai MDCCCLXXI." 2 Le Journal Officiel, November 5, 1870. ' The following is a transcript of the " ticket of authority " to receive their daily i87o] Siege of Paris 261 creased rapidly in numbers ; disease in ordinary forms and as epidemics acquired alarming prevalence, various hotels and other large buildings being taken up as additional hospitals. Some schools and colleges still remained open ; the Theatre Frangaise and a few similar establishments presented the ordinary scenes of performances in one portion of the buildings, while in others lay wounded men, sick, dying, and dead. From outside came evidences that our besiegers were actively at work. Intervals between rounds of fire from Prussian guns became shorter as time wore on. From French outposts came reports that siege batteries were being erected, and armed with Krupp guns of large calibre, with the evident object of bombarding the city. Additional measures were taken to interfere with communication, such as it was, between Paris and the provinces, even to the extent of keeping a more than usual sharp look-out upon messenger pigeons, many of these birds having failed to arrive. Two, if not more, of our balloons, while floating across positions occupied by our enemies, were brought to earth by their bullets, or otherwise fallen into their hands, their occupants threatened with trial by Court-Martial on charges of unauthorizedly attempting to traverse the circle of investment. In the year 1814, and again in 1815, the allied army entered Paris by the Porte St. Denis. The impression arose that an entrance by our besiegers was possibly intended on the present occasion to take place from the same direction ; the defences on that side were accordingly strengthened to so great an extent that those of us able to do so took an opportunity of visiting them. One entire cold foggy day was so spent by me, the Red Cross card procuring for me ready admittance, and " circulation " everywhere. Rumour said that on some of the advanced posts in this direction, men of the opposing forces were wont, during the long weary hours of night, to meet in friendly intercourse and par- take of such small hospitahty as they could, leaving for the morrow their allowance of meat granted by mairies to persons authorized to remain within the walls, namely : — ARRONDISSEMENT NO. D'ORDRE M Nombre de personnes Demeure... Nom deboucher Demeure Quantitedeviande{^<^;;f„„ Jours de distribution Heure de la distribution Timbre de la Mairie. 262 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 respective transition from "friends" to "enemies." Records of the Peninsular War relate similar stories in reference thereto. As the end of November drew near, rumour spread that the outer gates of the city had been closed ; that a sortie on a greater scale than any of those preceding was about to take place ; that the investing circle was to be broken, and the victorious army from Paris to march triumph- antly into the provinces. Along the thoroughfares of the city leading eastward marched battery after battery of artillery and battalion after battalion of infantry ; the crowds cheered, general excitement prevailed ; high-sounding promises were expressed that our isolation from the out- side world was about to cease. Towards evening orders reached those concerned that early on the morrow the attack was to be delivered ; at the same time the publication of a subsequently much jeered at " Pro- clamation " by a general officer became the subject of comment. At the early hour of one o'clock the following morning a heavy cannonade was opened upon the positions held by the enemy from the whole line of forts on the west and south of the city, and continued during the suc- ceeding hours^ so heavy indeed that according to calculation some two hundred missiles per minute were discharged upon them, while a no less furious bombardment was opened upon our outposts, the continuous bursting of shells in mid air of a grey foggy morning having a most weird effect. Throughout those weary hours equipages of all kinds to be used in the removal of wounded were being collected and arranged by the Intendance ; while on the river, rows of bateaux mouches, ready prepared for similar work, were moored to the embankment. At length morning broke, and such a morning ! bitterly cold, a dense fog hanging over us ; we, several hours without shelter or refreshment, our innate powers of maintaining animal warmth materially reduced by privation of food. Hour after hour passed, and we were still in our assigned positions ; some few conveyances and boats took their departure for the front, but that was all. Noon passed ; afternoon advanced. Rumour spread that the intended attack on the position at Champigny had mis- carried ; that during the previous night the Marne had come down in flood, available pontoons proved insufficient in the emergency, the passage of the forces across the stream had to be postponed. We knew that on the morrow the attempt would be renewed, but all perceived that meantime preparations against that attack would be made by those upon whom it was to be directed. As daylight broke on November 30 heavy cannonading as on the previous day began. Now the long line of conveyances was set in motion eastward, along the road between Charenton and the Seine. As we neared Joinville we met an escort party conveying to the city a i87o] Siege of Parts 263 considerable number of German soldiers who had fallen into their hands. At the same time we learned, what subsequent information confirmed, that the first onslaught by our besieged troops was so far successful, the village of Champigny being attacked by them; the mitrailleuse sweeping its streets, the Wurtembergers and Saxons by whom it was occupied were driven from it with extremely heavy loss to their numbers. During the past night the bridge across the Marne that had suffered from the mania of destruction already mentioned was temporarily repaired, a bridge of boats completed, so that the troops, together with thirty-three batteries of artillery, had crossed in the dark- ness and begun their attack at an unexpectedly early hour. There was no great difficulty connected with the transit of Red Cross conveyances. As we advanced towards Champigny, appearances betokened continued success on the part of the French ; and although wounded men were being carried to the rear in great numbers, the general impression was that the endeavours of our citizen forces against their enemies were on this occasion attended by success. Thus matters continued during the next two hours ; our establishments moving little by little onwards, following as we then considered the victorious progress of those with whom our sympathies naturally were. The fight now raged with great fury, its scene covering a vast extent of ground, the ridges that stretch from Brie to Champigny, and beyond the latter place still further to our right, presenting an almost uninterrupted line of batteries from which the deadly missiles fell thickly upon the troops engaged, and upon the ground occupied by us, while from the forts in rear of us similar showers of projectiles directed against those positions whizzed over our heads. Now there came a pause ; brancardiers carrying wounded, and convey- ances of sorts similarly laden, came from the front, and continued their journey rearward. There is confusion. The range of some of the enemy's guns has changed; so has the line of fire. Shells fall more and more near to us ; Spahis gallop in an irregular way among us. There is confusion among the ambulance conveyances ; brancardiers are unable to discover those to which they respectively belong. For the time being means are unavailable for the removal from the field of men who had fallen wounded. After a short time there was a rally. Again it was evident that the French were attacking the German positions; but ere night closed in they were everywhere repulsed. It was during the state of confusion just de- scribed that the commander of the 4th Zouaves, having received what proved to be his death-wound, was dropped and so left by the men who had brought him so far from the front. A shell had burst in their close vicinity. They abandoned the unfortunate officer, helpless as he 264 TMrty-nine Years in the Army [1870 was, and themselves disappeared in the general confusion. Some few of us expressed indignation in no doubtful terms. We rallied to the aid of the dying man, to whom we gave such aid as we were able to render. 1 A gentleman connected with one of the Embassies who was present succeeded in finding his brougham; in it was placed our patient, and so we started back to Paris for further help. Having re- crossed the Mame, we were driven by the road traversing the Pare de Vincennes, and so entered the city by the Place du Trone. Denser and more dense became the crowd as we neared the city ; people in uniform and in bourgeois dress, waggons, and troops in disorder, all served to impede our progress. When near enough to the bulwarks to observe what was taking place upon the slopes connected with them, a scene of the most astounding character presented itself. Crowds of people, male and female, were there, indulging in games as if the occasion were a holiday ; and yet within a very short distance from them their brothers and other relations were engaged in deadly combat, torn and mangled, in many instances, into shapeless masses of humanity. Having entered the city, we were driven quickly to the American ambulance, and there within a few short hours the sufferings of the poor CMf de Battalion had ceased. , He entered his rest. Before we could regain the field of battle, darkness had set in. Firing had much diminished, though still proceeding heavily, the flames from guns and burning buildings around us lighting up from time to time portions of the plain on which the events of the day had taken place. A considerable number of Red Cross men had returned in the hope of succouring such of the wounded as were left on the ground. Bitterly cold was the night, as hour after hour, till well past midnight, all of us, with lamp in hand, and in small separate bodies pursued our search, our own frames benumbed, unsupported by sufficient food, and without the possibility of obtaining such comfort as hot coffee or tea could afford. While so engaged, to our surprise, there flashed over us from the Faisanderie a beam of bright white light. For a moment it illumined the Prussian position upon the heights of Villiers, then suddenly ceased. A shell flew through the air. There was a loud explosion, preceded by a blaze of flame. We were made aware that for the first time the electric light was made use of in this way. At last, wearied, tired, exhausted by cold, we were able in the early hours of morning to reach our respective hotels. ' This episode was subsequently illustrated in one of the pictorial scenes relating to the siege exhibited in London. 1870J Siege Continued 265 CHAPTER XXX 1870. DECEMBER. SIEGE CONTINUED The day after battle — Disaster — Next day— Paris " dead" — Benevolence and clamour — Citizen soldiers — A possible significance — Spy mania — A duel — Sortie on Le Bourget — A lady on the field — After the battle — An Irishman in French Navy — Christmas — Public opinion — First shell in Paris. FROM early morning, and all next day/ ambulance equipages and men patrolled the field of battle in the performance of their merci- ful work, their search for wounded made difficult by the dense fog prevailing. Hostilities had ceased for the time, to permit of inter- ment of the dead and succour to the wounded. But unhappily the truce was taken advantage of by stragglers of many kinds, some of whom were bent on plunder. Everywhere on and near the scene of recent combat there was devastation ; houses burnt and otherwise dilapidated ; boundary walls reduced to fragments ; trees broken and torn by shot ; the ground furrowed by shells. Bivouacking in the open, or in small groups taking advantage of such shelter as remained against the bitterly cold wind, were soldiers, who, after the fight of yesterday, so spent the night where they had fought ; more than half benumbed by cold, they kept up camp fires by means of fragments of furniture, some of great value, taken from neighbouring ruins. Their cooking utensils were supplied for the occasion by viande freshly cut from horses killed by Prussian shells. The carriages were soon filled with wounded. They were driven back to Paris, their loads appropriately disposed of ; after which a second trip was made to the field, the carriages again filled, the wounded in them similarly distributed, the horses getting over more than thirty-six miles in the double journey. Rumours spread that in some few instances the role of the Red Cross had been departed from ; intrenching tools conveyed in carriages bearing that emblem; infor- mation interchanged between contending forces, communication of which was beyond its proper sphere. The rumours applied to the one side as to the other. ' December I. ^66 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 Throughout the dreary night that followed, the French troops had to remain in bivouac among the scenes and wreck of battle, their physical •strength, already lowered by privation, still further reduced by fatigue and cold, for the weather was now bitterly cold ; their morale impaired by the scenes around them, added to the experiences of the previous day. As subsequently learned, conditions of the German troops were very different. All who had survived on the 30th were withdrawn from the field of battle and positions near it, their places taken by others who had not seen the carnage of that day, well fed, comfortably sheltered, and thus, in physical condition as in morale, better fitted than their opponents to renew the combat. At break of day on December 2 a furious onslaught was made by them upon the French, hundreds of whom were so benumbed by cold as to be unable to stand to their arms. No wonder, therefore, that to them the day became one of disaster. During all that day wounded in great numbers arrived from the field in Paris, all available accommodation for them became ■crowded. Eminent surgeons were busy in the performance of needful operations among the five thousand six hundred so brought to them. As to the dead, their probable numbers did not transpire ; but at one point of the extensive range over which the fight extended, eight hundred ■were interred in one long trench. During the succeeding night the troops recrossed the Marne and bivouacked in the Bois de Vincennes. The most determined effort yet made to break the besieging circle having failed, the fact was now apparent that unless aid came from the provinces, all within the beleaguered city were about to enter upon a •condition of things more desperate than we had as yet experienced. On the day immediately following what undoubtedly was a withdrawal from the field of combat, the aspect of Paris and of its people was that of sadness, mourning, and uncertainty. The day was cold, a thick fog overhung the city, with occasional falls of snow. Along the great thoroughfares the usual traffic was replaced to a great extent by convey- .ances engaged in the transport of wounded ; funeral processions, more or less imposing in their surroundings, met with in different parts of the city. The absence of sound of heavy guns in the early part of the day •seemed to add to the sombreness of our conditions. It was in a manner a " reUef," as afternoon advanced, to hear the familiar boom from out- lying forts, as their guns opened fire upon the German positions in front of them. A week of sadness passed ; Paris " dead " ; its shroud a thick cover- ing of snow ; not a wheeled carriage in the streets ; scarcely a foot- passenger to be seen. Winter more than usually severe was upon us ; •even the more unsettled classes of the populace seemed to give a i87o] Siege Continued 267 thought to the seriousness of conditions present, and more particularly to those of the near future. As time advanced, so did the prevailing miseries among the besieged increase and assume different forms ; in some disease and death, in others starvation in respect to food and fuel, insufficient clothing, want of necessary care and attendants among the poorer classes, and so on. As a result of exhausted fuel supplies, the streets were dimly lighted by oil or petroleum lamps ; shops closed at nightfall ; in streets and boulevards pedestrians had to grope their way along the distance that intervened between the flickering lamps. Mean- while, by day and night, with hardly an interruption, the sound of heavy cannonading was heard with suggestive distinctness. An occa- sional hope expressed that help from the provinces would soon arrive, only to be destroyed by the receipt by pigeon post of news of defeat near Orleans.^ Riot and a spirit of upheaval became manifest ; the places where " demonstrations " by the dangerous classes were most pronounced, the Halles Centrales, and others where food was issued; Within the churches scenes of a different kind were enacted : some were nearly filled with men, women, and youths engaged in private devotion ; in others were groups in the midst of which the Service for the Dead was being performed over a more or less richly draped coffin, according to the social position of him or her whose body it enclosed. Now it was that noble efforts were made by individuals, muni- cipalities, and by the Assistance Publique to lessen, as far as that was possible, some of the greatest straits prevailing among particular classes. Large sums of money were presented to the Paris Administration for that purpose by some wealthy residents, of whom Sir Richard Wallace gave 80,000 francs. Places of distribution of such fuel as could be procured, and of food to the poor, were arranged; nor was it long before the discovery was made that the persons who obtained the lion's share in these respects were the most clamorous and dangerous, rather than the most necessitous for whom those measures of philanthropy were intended. But among all classes, notwithstanding everything possible in the way of help, the difficulties and privations incidental to our position increased apace. In the ranks of the citizen " soldiers," more especially those of Belle- ville, disaffection and insubordination took various new developments. They established among themselves a so-called Committee of Admin- ' On November 28 General d'Aurelle de Paladine, at the head of the army of the Loire, while endeavouring to force his way from Orleans to Fontainebleau, whence he hoped to advance to the rescue of Paris, was attacked near Beaune la Rolande by the army under Prince Frederick Charles, and defeated, with a reported loss to the French of 1,000 killed, 4,000 wounded, and 1,600 prisoners. 268 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1870 istration, by which all orders were thenceforward to be issued, and promotions made. They once more clamoured to be sent to the front against the enemy ; their demand was acceeded to ; their conduct when face to face with their opponents so objectionable in more respects than one that they were hastily recalled. The particular corps most im- plicated were disbanded; a general reorganization, as far as practic- able, applied to the whole body of the Garde Nationale. A possible significance in respect to other forces than those of Paris under similar complications of circumstances attached to the occur- rences just mentioned ; it was emphasized by conditions pertaining to other classes of citizen soldiers whose reputation stood higher than that alluded to. It was said of those enrolled under such titles as Amis de France, Francs Tireurs, and so on, that so far from being recognised by the Germans as soldiers, properly so called, when they fell into the hands of the latter they were looked upon as brigands and assassins ; dealt with accordingly, that is, taken to the rear and shot. It was said of them that "if the franc tireurs will indulge in Red Indian warfare, they must take the consequences." The spy mania acquired renewed activity, experiences among us foreigners becoming again unpleasant, though never to the extent already mentioned. Such was the degree to which the new develop- ment prevailed that certain aristocratic ladies who had taken upon themselves the part of vivandilres, in place of those to whom allusion has already been made, were subjected to unpleasantness as a result of suspicion that fell upon them. Houses in the windows of which lights were detected in the course of the long nights of midwinter were disagreeably overhauled by order of " the authorities " j those occupied by Germans, or by French suspected of German proclivities, were in some instances invaded by roughs, and that without interference by the police, who were passive spectators of violence done to person or property, or both. It was necessary for all who desired some measure of individual safety to obtain at the office of the Governor a " Laissez passer," and to have the card so named vis^d from time to time at the same bureau. Arising out of what seemed to us outsiders a very silly quarrel in connection with the tittle-tattle and can-cans of a club a duel took place, while the circumstances around us were as have just been de- scribed. The principals and their "friends," all French, every en- deavour made by the latter to prevent the encounter having failed, the meeting took place in a garden within the city. The adversaries, each with foil in hand, took their places as arranged by their " friends," the foils of the latter held so as to be under those of their respective ^^7°] Siege Contimied 269 opponents, and so, ready to strike up the weapon in case of " accident/' undue advantage, or other sufficient cause. Stripped to the shirt, the combatants lunge, parry, and thrust at each other in the grey mist of morning, while the sound of heavy firing from outlying forts was borne through the air. From their persons perspiration issues, to be converted by the cold of a December morning into visible vapour ; the shirt of one is pierced, his side grazed ; the fight lasts forty-five minutes ; the bared arm of the other principal is suddenly raised quivering in the ■ air, blood trickles. "Je suis toiuh'e ! " he exclaims ; the weapon falls ; "honour" has been satisfied. From forts and other positions around the city firing increases in degree ; it is continuous by day and throughout the night. Within, there are large bodies of troops in motion to the sounds of drum and bugle ; orders issued that all gates of the fortifications shall be closed alike to egress and ingress, these incidents being precursors of another attempt against the enemy. Long before daybreak on December 21 the Rue Lafayette was crowded by troops and ambulance establishments making their way to the Porte de Pantin. SooHi) thereafter a combined force, "• comprising this and other portions, took up position on the open field, triangular in form, at the angles of which stand respectively Auber- villiers, Le Bourget, and Drancy. On the left of the French position the combat immediately became terrific in its violence, the interchange of fire from guns and rifles on each side amounting to a continuous roar and shower of missiles. Heaviest of all was the bombardment of Bourget, then in possession of the Germans, from the fort of Auber- villiers. After a time the marine battalion, led by Admiral de la Ronci^re, made a rush, hatchets in hand, cheering as they went, upon the village, with the result that out of six hundred men, of whom their force consisted when their charge began, two hundred and seventy-nine lay dead or wounded within a few minutes, the position still retained by the enemy. At other places also the French attack failed ; a third defeat had been sustained. The intensity of cold was the greatest hitherto experienced. While the fight was at its hottest a lady bearing the Red Cross brassard came upon the scene, her precise object and purpose not apparent. Wounded men were being brought to and attended by members of ambulance societies under circumstances to which most of us had become accustomed. Not so the lady, to whom the scene around and its general accompaniments proved altogether " too much " ; her demeanour and style of action showed how unsuited she was to ' The chief officers in command were Vinoy, Ducrot and De la Ronciere. 270 Thirty-nine Years in the Army L1870 the position into which, no one knew how or why, she had come. She was taken in charge by a courteous surgeon, and guided with gentle firmness to the rear, after which ambulance work proceeded with regu- larity and system, as usual. On the day following the scene presented by the battlefield was one that fancy could have hardly pictured. The village of Drancy a mass of ruin ; fire and smoke everywhere rising therefrom ; the church de- stroyed, but in the midst of ruin the figure of the Madonna and Child erect upon its pedestal, and untouched. Parties of troops who had bivouacked during the night sheltered themselves as best they could, some by pieces of tentks abri, others by pieces of doors and fur- niture ; camp fires kept up by means of fragments of cabinets, costly furniture, and pianos. Among the men some had possessed themselves with sheep-skins, blankets, rugs, or carpets, with pieces of which their heads and bodies were protected, giving to them a strange and wild appearance. Everywhere the deeply frozen ground was torn by shells, or had in it pits formed by the explosion of those missiles. Accompanied by a Staff officer I visited two of the largest barracks within the city, meeting in both of them from the soldiers through whose rooms I passed such a display of civility and hospitality as I had heretofore been unaccustomed to. In the Caserne de Papinifere, in accepting the cup of wine proffered by a soldier, I drank " Success to the French army," feeling as I did so how little likely was that senti- ment to be realized. From the further end of the room came the inquiry, expressed in the English tongue, " How do you like our wine, sir ? " A brief talk with the speaker followed. In the course of it he said he was by birth an Irishman ; had left his wife in Dublin ; had served twenty years in the French navy ; was well satisfied with that service, in which there were a good many of his countrymen ; that his period for pension was very nearly complete ; but in all that time he had never been so near " losing his number " as " there at Bourget." Christmas is upon us. Weather bitterly cold ; many of the troops in bivouac suffer from frost-bite ; the Seine thickly covered with ice ; fuel expended ; pumping machinery, like other kinds, at a standstill, hence water supply materially interfered with, personal ablution and laundry work all but impossible. Marauding parties break down and rob wood wherever they can ; trees newly cut down are placed on the hearth ; they refuse to burn, but yield smoke in abundance, which irritates and inflames the eyes. Food difficulties have increased in urgency ; the daily ration insufficient in quantity to maintain strength and animal warmth. In the hospitals upwards of 20,000 sick and wounded ; mortality in those establishments greater than on the field 1870] Sie^^e Continued 27 r of battle ; pourriture among the wounded prevailing to an alarming extent.* The health of besieged had become impaired by semi- starvation; hands, feet, and ears were chapped and painful. These were among the conditions in which our great festival was celebrated ;. affectionate thoughts wafted towards those from whom no communi- cation had reached us since the unhappy day of Chatillon. Public opinion manifested itself in ways opposed to religion, law, and order. Classes of people belonging to, or of similar type to those of Belleville and Vilette, broke into ribaldry of expression that seemed to approach in profanity that of 1792 ; in that also they were joined by some of the daily papers, the position assumed by the Communists- so violent as to menace the existence of the Provisional Govern- ment. Meantime there was increased activity in the batteries of the besiegers, indicating that the circle of " fire and steel " beyond the city had narrowed ; yet, with all this, the dangers, present and prospective, were looked upon as at least equal in gravity from enemies within as from those beyond the walls. On the 27th of December newly unmasked batteries opened heavy fire on Avron and other places in its vicinity; shells began to fall within the enceinte of the city, and so the long-expected bombardment began. So heavy was the volume of fire on that position that during three days of its continuance it was estimated that 7,000 missiles — all of large size — ^^fell upon it. Manfully for a time did the defenders stand their ground ; very great their losses in killed and wounded when at last they were forced to abandon their forts on the north-eastern side, their wounded serving to still further crowd the overcrowded am- bulances. The ultimate issue of the siege, never very doubtful to us- foreigners, had now become less so than before. Men asked each other, "How is it that 600,000 Frenchmen permitted themselves to be blockaded by 200,000 Germans ? " The mystery seemed to be solved by a writer^ of that day, somewhat according to this manner : " It is confessed that the Governor (Trochu) has shown unfortunate hesita- tions; but to do good work the tools must be good, and in these respects he is deficient. To fight the Prussians we should have old soldiers, well disciplined and inured to war, reliable and instructed officers ; not young soldiers of three months, poorly fed and sickly, and officers who have been too recently promoted to properly understand their duties." In gloom and sadness to us the year 1870 ended. ' Notwithstanding the free use of antiseptics and disinfectants of many kinds. ' Journal du Siigepar un Bourgeois de Paris, p. 573. 1272 Thirty-nine Years in the Army (1870 CHAPTER XXXI 1871. JANUARY. SIEGE. BOMBARDMENT. CAPITULATION OF PARIS Bombardment begun — Its progress and effects — " The terrible battery of Meudon " — Sundry particulars — Conditions of the besieged — A telegram— Increasing privations — Disaffection and corruption — Routine of every-day life — Our food supplies — Photographic messages — Personal circumstances — Night march — A Proclamation — Sortie on Montretout and Bugeval — Defeat — The killed and wounded — Armistice declared — Vive la Commune I — General events — At our worst — Ambulances — Ward scenes and statistics — Unexpected recognition. INCESSANT firing between the enemy's positions and outlying forts during the last night of 1870 and first day of 1871, increasing in violence as the day advanced j additional batteries un- masked on the German side, thus giving visible signs of what was to come. At 3 a.m. on the 5th, the first shell of actual bombardment fell within the city ; then followed similar missiles in quick succession, chiefly falling and exploding near the Pantheon, Luxembourg, and market of Montrouge. In the course of that day a Government Proclamation was issued, the terms of which as they are transcribed seem almost childish in their simplicity : " The bombardment of Paris has commenced. The enemy, not content with firing upon our forts, hurls his projectiles upon our houses ; threatens our hearths and our families. His violence will redouble the resolution of the city, which will fight and conquer. The defenders of the forts, exposed to in- cessant firing, lose nought of their calmness, and know well how to inflict terrible reprisals upon the assailants. The population of Paris valiantly accept this new token. The enemy hopes to intimidate it ; he will only render its bound the more vigorous. It will show itself worthy of the Army of the Loire, which has caused the enemy to retire ; of the Army of the North, which is marching to our relief.* Vive la France ! Vive la Republique 1 " 1 Referring to confusedly expressed news received by pigeon, which was inter- preted to the effect that Faidherbe had repulsed the enemy in the Pas de Calais ; Chansy and Bourbaki were at Nevers " watching " on either flank of the army of Prince Frederick Charles; at Nuits, "a French general "had vdth 10,000 French beaten 25,000 Prussians. 1871] Bombardment 273 Bombardment increased in violence and rapidity during the nights and days immediately following, the shells falling nearer and nearer to the centre of the city. With reports of casualties among men, women, and children, came accounts of buildings struck and penetrated by shells, including private dwellings, hospitals, ambulances, churches, and convents, all situated on the left side of the Seine. An exodus ot people from the places struck was a natural result. They flocked to parts of the city situated on the right side of the river, and there, in the face of great difficulties, were provided with accommodation ; food being obtained for them with even greater difficulty than accommoda- tion. Sick and wounded had similarly to be provided for ; so had the inmates of maternity establishments. Hotels, business establishments, churches, and public buildings of all sorts were rapidly transformed for the reception of the several classes alluded to ; private houses belong- ing to persons who had quitted the beleaguered city were "requisitioned" for the same purpose, while in many instances private families gave shelter and aid to refugees from the bombarded quarters. Then opened upon the city what speedily became known among us as " the terrible battery of Meudon," on account of the great violence of bombardment by it; the missiles therefrom committed greater havoc than anything previously experienced, and fell nearer and nearer to the centre of Paris as " practice " went on. Day and night continuously, with varying intensity, but always greatest during the night, did the bom- bardment continue. Answering fire from the forts around was scarcely less actively directed upon the German positions, the incessant rolling sound of heavy guns varied by that of exploding shells, the tremor of houses so caused rendered the hours of darkness somewhat "hideous." So passed twelve days and nights. On the 1 7th of January there was a slackening of fire from the forts. Rumour in different shapes spread in regard to the cause : that to which most ready belief was given being that ammunition had begun to fail ; the meaning of such a report significant. At this time certain published records appeared in which statistics of casualties purported to be given ; those during the first eight days of bombardment 51 killed and 138 wounded, the damage to buildings unexpectedly small. Some of us set to work to calculate arithmetically our individual chances of being struck, and so made them out to be relatively little. Those chances would no doubt have been materially increased had the intentions assigned to the German artillery been carried out of discharging incendiary bombs upon Paris — an intention frustrated by order of the Emperor — for that dignity had recently been assumed by him.^ Fortunately 1 On January l8, 1871, at Versailles. T 2 74 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 for us not more than three out of every five abuses discharged upon us exploded] whether as a result of defects in themselves or other cause did not matter to us upon whom they were directed. It was now that the terms of a telegram said to have been sent by " King William to Queen Augusta " was everywhere exhibited in the great thoroughfares. That message intimated that " the bombardment of Paris proceeds satisfactorily, thank God." The comments passed with reference to it were at the time distinctly expressive, and no wonder. But now, long years after the event, the question arises — ^Was such a telegram ever sent ? Meanwhile the conditions of the besieged, as already noticed, had increased in severity. The season of mid-winter was of unusual in- clemency ; sickness and mortality by disease had acquired alarming rates, irrespective of casualties in battle; fuel was unobtainable, the want of it a cause of increased suffering and illness. The best energies of arrondissements, public institutions, and private individuals were directed to the mitigation of these and other evils incidental to a people besieged and under bombardment ; but, alas ! while the cause remained, the ordinary effects could only be averted in a very small degree, if in any. It was under these circumstances that a renewed spirit of disaffection towards the existing Government broke out violently among the classes who were the chief recipients of help in various ways specially granted to them by that Government, even to the relative neglect of those who, equally needy, were less clamorous. There arose dissensions among the sectional Representatives ; distrust of, and ill-feeling towards, the foreign residents on imaginary grounds that the latter carried on a system of communication with the besiegers. Signs of disaffection and corruption were manifest among the citizen soldiers, those signs giving peculiar signficance to the extravagant terms in which official orders made mention of the services performed by them; for the facts were popularly known that an attempted sortie on the loth miscarried because inform- ation regarding it had reached the enemy ; that a second, planned for the 14th, had to be abandoned on account of some of those citizen "soldiers" having failed to be in their assigned positions at the appointed time. So far as indications pointed, revolution and civil war were imminent, while heavy bombardment by the enemy was still in progress. Meanwhile the ordinary routine of everyday life went on much as if besiegers outside and various dangerous elements within our gates were non-existent, with the 'difference that to more common subjects of talk was added abuses, including probable size, distance at i87i] Bombaydment 275 which from the speaker, and places of their explosion, damage to property and life caused thereby, and so on. As time went on the bombardment became, to some degree, a substitute for the weather as subject of first remark between acquaintances when meeting each other for the day ] for example : " The bombardment is rather lively to-day," or " it is rather slow." People met at dinner, if that term can be applied to the fare procurable. Walking became a necessity, for the reason that the horses of omnibuses and other public conveyances had been requisitioned for purposes of food ; hence, those of us who had duties to perform, experienced increasing difficulties in carrying them out. But these conditions were not altogether unrelieved by an incident having in it much of the ludicrous. An order was published declaring that widows of "soldiers" of the Mobile and National Guards should thenceforward be deemed entitled to pension, the immediate result being a great outcrop of marriage ceremonies among the classes concerned. All ordinary supplies of viande had now become expended, the small reserve store being retained for the sick and wounded. Animals of all kinds, excluding the camivora,^ were requisitioned, their carcases exposed for sale in boucheries, but only issued to persons provided with the required billet de rationnement from the mairie of his arron- dissement Supplies of grain were in like manner " requisitioned " and issued under authority ; armed sentries guarded retail establish- ments, their services on various occasions required against rioters, as already alluded to, from Belleville and Vilette. In the southern parts of the city long queues of women were to be seen, each individual wait- ing her turn to receive her " ration " ; not a few of the elderly and weak among them falling where they had stood, exhausted as their physical powers were from cold and insufficient food. In some localities, more especially near the Luxembourg, casualties among them occurred by the explosion of Prussian shells. The daily "ration" for which they scrambled consisted latterly of about ten ounces of bread, one ounce of horseflesh, and a quarter litre of vin ordinare. The bread contained J flour, A fecula of potatoes, rice, peas and lentils, \ of ground straw, the remaining fraction made up of water and "sundry" materials. Women of all social classes aided the real poor in every possible way, and in other respects maintained the reputation of their sex in times of danger and difficulty. An improved and ingenious method by which news from the outer ' The remark refers to those ^in the Jardin des Plantes and Jardin d'Acclimatioil. "he flesh of these animals was sold at exorbitant prices. 276 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 world could be brought within access to the ordinary people within the city was now introduced, through the instrumentality, it was said, of the Times. A series of advertisements addressed to individuals appeared in that journal; these having been reduced at Tours to minimum dimensions by photography, the sheet containing them was thence transmitted by pigeon-post. On arrival within Paris the whole was enlarged by means of the camera, after which the messages were copied and dispatched to their several addresses. In this way a message reached me from my beloved wife — the first I had received for upwards of four months — it was, " Your family are well ; most anxious about you." I fully appreciated the significance of these few words. In respect to privations and risks, my individual experiences were neither more nor less than those to which many others within the bombarded city had perforce to submit. My stock of cash had become exhausted ; to all intents and purposes I was a pauper, only able to obtain the requirements of life by giving to the maitre d'hotel in which I resided written authority to my London agents, that in th,e event of my death they should pay all his claims upon me. I subsequently learned that, in response to my urgent requests sent par ballon monU, my wife had vainly endeavoured to have money transmitted to me, until, having applied to the American Embassy in London, a remittance was at once sent through that channel ; in due time received by me from Mr. Washbourne, and so my pecuniary obligations discharged. As pressure in respect to food increased, I fear that on some few occasions I partook of bifteck de cheval, and once, — only once, — of pati de chien ; but against both of these appetite rebelled, and latterly I had to put up with the one salt herring with which I was supplied as " meat rations " for three days. Prior to the complete investment of the city, I had procured and hidden away such small supplies as I could lay hands on, of anchovies, mushrooms, sailors' biscuits, and oatmeal ; the quantities of each were small, but such as they were, they served their purpose. All through the night of the i8th, large bodies of troops marched silently towards positions previously assigned to them with reference to coming events. The night was unusually dark ; the streets presented only glimering lamp-lights at distant intervals; the city enshrouded in dense mist; beyond the gates the ground saturated with rain, the roads by which the forces had to proceed encumbered with guns, waggons, and other obstructive objects. Daylight revealed to " all concerned " the Proclamation as follows, not only published in the journals, but affixed to walls in various places, namely : " Citizens, the enemy kills our wives and children, bombards "871] Bombardment 277 us night and day, covers with shells our hospitals. One cry, ' To Arras ! ' has burst from every breast. Those who can shed their life's blood on the field of battle will march against the enemy ; those who remain, jealous of the honour of their brothers, will, if required, suffer with calm endurance every sacrifice, as their proof of their devotion to their country. Suffer and die if necessary, but conquer ! Vive la Ripuhlique!" Three Corps d'Armee, comprising more than one hundred thousand men, under the commands of Ducrot, Vinoy, and Bellemere, had taken, or were in progress of taking up positions under cover of Mont Val^rien against the Prussian lines between Montretout and Bugeval, the prevailing fog so dense that assigned routes could not be main- tained; several hours were thus lost. The French troops were con- sequently worn out with fatigue ; portions of them had not arrived in position, among others considerable bodies of artilleryj so that when about 9 a.m. the fight began, they had not been consolidated. On the other hand, the larger forces against whom they were led were unfatigued by night march and other difficulties; they had passed the night in relative quiet, had good and ample rations, and were in full physical strength. With all these disadvantages the first onslaught against the enemy's positions at Montretout and Fouilleuse was successful. Thence, toward the French right, the combat quickly developed in fury ; no fewer than five hundred cannon, including both sides, were estimated as engaged in their deadly work, excluding those of Mont Valdrien, missiles from which whizzed above our heads in their ffight towards the German lines. On our side, shells from the latter fell as it were from the zenith among the masses of advancing infantry, making great gaps, as each successive cloud of ddbris from their explo- sions cleared away. From Fouilleuse we were able to see the terrible violence with which the fight now raged. There the Soci^td Inter- nationale des Secours aux Blesses established a field ambulance ; many wounded received first aid, and thence were dispatched to " fixed " establishments within the city. To reinforce the troops engaged, whose losses were already very great, large bodies of men from those in reserve marched laboriously towards the front. The ground was soaked by rain, their progress slow and difficult, themselves weary, fatigued, and physically weak. In their advance they came upon many carcases of horses killed by German shells, some of the men falling out of their ranks to cut from them slices of bleeding flesh ; having secured them on their backs, they resumed their places, and so onward towards the enemy. Meanwhile, a horrible scene was taking place in close prox- imity to the place where, mounted, I stood with a group of Staff officers. 278 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 A private of the 119th regiment of the line shot the captain of his company while their battalion was advancing, and torn by vertical fire as aheady mentioned. Ducrot ordered the man to be put to death on the spot. A party of his own regiment was at once detailed for the purpose ; by it he was taken aside — not more than a few feet from the left of the advancing column ; he was seen to fall A party of brancardiers approached ; they were warned oflf ; one of the execution party levelled his rifle and fired at him as he lay struggling on the ground; theft another ; then a third, and now the unhappy man hes still in death. We speculated among ourselves as to the circumstances that may have led him to commit the crime so expiated. As day advanced the thick mist of morning cleared away, revealing the progress of battle and extent of field on which it raged. That the French were more exposed than were the enemy was at once apparent ; yet, though suffering greatly by shot and shell from unseen batteries, they stood their ground with obstinacy, inured as they had now become to combat by their four months of experience. Later on, how- ever, hesitation is shown in their ranks ; stragglers drop away ; need- lessly large numbers ^ accompany to the rear their wounded comrades ; unsteadiness affects battalions ; and now the sad spectacle is seen of one such body in flight down the declivity adjoining Montretout. Officers make frantic efforts to rally their men; daylight fades in gloom ; soon night closes in, mist again covers the scene ; firing from both sides have ceased ; all around is dark and silent. In the darkness for hours did the ambulance men of various societies traverse the field in pursuance of their work. As conveyances were in progress towards the general rendezvous, confusion and crush increased, as a combined result of darkness and an absence of regular road- ways ; progress consequently so retarded that night was far advanced when we reached the rampart gates, our conveyances compkt with wounded men. As on the first occasion, roadsides and avenues within Port Maillot were crowded with people. Loud and anxious inquiries for relatives and friends who had taken part in the recent battle were frequent ; frivolity in abeyance, as if experience had im- pressed upon them the significance of combat against our besiegers. That the result of the day had been disastrous to the French was speedily realized. Next day the casualties among the forces engaged were estimated at 1000 killed, the greater number by artillery fire ; the wounded as " very many." Meanwhile the work of bombarding Paris, scarcely if at all interfered ' On one occasion thirteen were so counted, bringing to the rear a wounded comrade. i87i] Capitulation of Paris 279 with by the incident of severe conflict just narrated, was increased rather than diminished in its intensity ; new batteries opened upon the city, with acharnement, shells falling upon places hitherto untouched. St. Denis was assailed, and underwent greater destruction in respect to property and life than had been sustained by the capital itself. A rush of people from that suburb took place, causing serious inconvenience to those whose duty it was to provide them with accommodation and food. All hopes of deliverance had become extinguished ; negotia- tions were accordingly opened with the German Chancellor in view to an armistice being arranged. While they were in progress, bombard- ment continued with its usual violence. Early in the night of the 26th there was a sudden lull ; a few minutes before midnight there was dis- charged upon us a volley from all points of the circle, such as we had never previously experienced ; then followed stillness. Bombardment had ceased ; we knew that the Convention had been signed. For 130 days Paris had been besieged ; during thirty, the advanced forts had been bombardedj during twenty-one, the city.^ Demonstrations by " the dangerous classes " of Belleville and Vilette took place ; their plea, the terms on which the armistice had been concluded. The Hotel de Ville was menaced by crowds of excited men, gesticulating wildly as they shouted, " Vive la Com- mune ! " They are dispersed by force of arms ; several of their num- bers killed, many more wounded. There is a flight towards the Mazas prison ; an entrance thereto is effected, some of the more noted of its inmates released. A rush is made upon the small remaining food stores of their arrondissements ; they are broken into, their contents distributed among the assailants. After a time these disturbances are suppressed. Trochu has resigned his command; Vinoy is his successor. When on January 27, 1871, the morning papers published the terms of amnesty, the fact was one of common knowledge that the stock of food remaining was not equal to more than six or seven days' "rations," even according to the reduced scale to which the besieged were at the time brought down ; in fact, all were now at starvation point as a result of gradually diminishing allowances of food. Next day the Germans occupied Mont Val&ienas the French troops marched out of it. Some hours later appeared a proclamation by the Govern- '■ The following places were those that chiefly suffered within Paris, viz., The Luxembourg quarter, Boulevard St. Michel, Rues St. Jacques, d'Enfer, Vaugirard, H6pital Val de Grace, Theitre Odeon, Church of St. Sulpice, the Jardin des Plantes, Pantheon, Ministere de Commerce, Invalides, Church of St. Germain, Rue Boissy d'Anglais. 2 8o Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 ment of the Defence announcing that "the Convention which ter-, minates the resistance of Paris will be signed in a few hours " ; that "we could not have prolonged the resistance without condemning to certain death two millions of men, women, and children. Mortality has increased threefold." "We come out with all our honour," the same document said, "and with all our hopes, in spite of our present grief." In accordance with the terms agreed upon, the process began of disarming the citizen soldiers, of whom groups along the thoroughfares showed by their gloomy style and demeanour those pent-up feelings of dis- aifection which were soon to break out in the horrors of the Commune. The conditions to which Paris and its people had been reduced were urgent. Severe cold, absolute want of fuel, the insufScient scale of food to which all were officially limited, prevailing sickness and mortality by disease, added to the recurring influx of wounded as a result of desultory conflicts beyond the line of fortifications, combined to render further resistance impossible. All establishments set apart for the reception of wounded were over- crowded. Not alone food, but appliances were insufficient in quantity and kind. In many instances private families had received wounded into their houses, and so crippled their own resources. The result of the recent sortie and action at Montretout was an accession to the numbers requiring care and accommodation of three to five thousand, for actual statistics were unobtainable; professional and other atten- dants were insufficient to meet the demands on their services ; while, as if still further to complicate matters, the Germans sent several hundred wounded French into the city, and so lightened the work of their own establishments. In some ambulances such scenes were to be seen as French and German wounded occupying adjoining beds ; no longer '' enemies," but helpless ; unable to communicate with each other ; many destined to quit the place in death, for hospital diseases setting at defiance dis- infection and all other supposed preventive measures proved fatal to a large proportion of patients within those establishments. A heavy offensive odour, that oi pourriture, pervades wards and corridors of the buildings, extending to the streets or boulevards immediately ad- joining. In the mortuary of a large hospital the scene presented was too horrible for detailed description. The defence now ended had been carried on at a cost in human life in respect to which reliable statistics were unobtainable. According to one account, deaths on the field of battle and in ambulances amounted among troops of the line and Mobiles to 50,000; to another to 63,000; to a third to 73,000 ; neither estimate taking into account mortality by 1871] Capitulation of Paris 281 disease and privation among the non-military inhabitants. On the capitulation of Paris the troops who became prisoners of war numbered about 180,000 ; the fortress guns "captured" by the enemy 1,500 field pieces and 400 mitrailleuses ; in addition the gun-boats on the Seine, locomotives, and rolling stock. While making my round among the ambulances, I was somewhat surprised to hear myself accosted by name by a wounded man who occupied one of the beds past which I was moving. At once I entered into conversation with him, naturally enough expressing sympathy for him. He briefly informed me that he was in the loist (British) Regi- ment, and landed With that corps at Gosport on the occasion of its first arrival in England from India; that he remembered me oh duty there ; that having left the regiment he joined the Francs Tireurs of Paris at the beginning of the siege; that fifty per cent, of his comrades had perished by shot, disease, or at the hands of the Germans, into which they may have fallen as prisoners ; that he himself had not slept in a bed for three months until brought to the ambulance wounded; He was but one example of the material of which such volunteers were composed, and a similar story to his could doubtless be told by many others. Under the circumstances to which we were now reduced, welcome was the news that supplies of food sent to the besieged from England and elsewhere had arrived in proximity of the outskirts ; credit must be accorded to the supreme officers of the investing force for the rapidity with which those supplies were forwarded to the now starving people within, so that on the last day of January many waggon loads were received, and forthwith distributed. On that day also postal communication with the outer world was re-estabUshed, though with the proviso that letters dispatched should be unsealed. 282 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 CHAPTER XXXII 1871. FEBRUARY. PARIS AFTER CAPITULATION Food in abundance — Theatrical parody — Contrasted conditions — Preparations for German entry — Causes assigned for defeat — Citizen and regular soldiers — Distributing food. RENEWED disturbances inaugurated the month of February. The central market, in which were the food stores arriving from without, was again attacked and pillaged ; nor were the rioters dispersed until a strong military force arrived on the spot. Further supplies came pouring into the city, until within a few days there was abundance everywhere; all restrictions on sale removed; restaurants recovered much of their ordinary aspect. From London came large quantities of food, and of appliances for wounded ; a donation from the city to the Municipality of Paris. The whole of those supplies, in accordance with such terms, were divided among the twenty arrondissements of Paris, with the result that a large share fell to the dangerous classes so often alluded to ; comparatively little to the professional and other respectable classes who all through the times of greatest trial had borne their privations in silence. Within a few days thereafter, so profuse had been the supplies issued that large quantities, exposed for sale in shops, could be purchased at less than their ordinary retail price. But money wherewith to make purchases had not yet come into the hands of those most in want The urgency of conditions among the " better " classes alluded to was known to those of us who had passed through the difficulties of the siege now at an end ; proffered suggestions in regard to issuing food and other requirement to them were ignored by those in charge. Thus came about the undesirable state of things that the disaffected and dangerous among the population had more than they could make use of ; the orderly and reputable obtained little, if anything, to relieve their necessities. An Englishman applied at the mairie of the 9th i87i] Paris after Capitulation 283, Arrondissement for help in food from the don anglais received. He was asked, " Are you really much in want to-day ? " " Very much," was his reply, " or else I should not have wasted the day by coming here." So they gave him a halfpenny biscuit, a square inch of cheese, and three lumps of sugar, but not until he had been kept waiting; several hours ! That is but one illustration. While on the one side the scenes just mentioned were in progress as an outcome of well-meant liberality on the part of our own country, others were to be seen, the style of which presented to us foreigners a phase of Parisian characteristics altogether new. In a theatre close to- the Porte St. Martin, the privations and various other painful incidents of the siege were parodied much to the apparent amusement of the crowded house. Comment on the " performances " in question is best omitted. Fugitives who had abandoned their houses while investment of the city was incomplete returned in daily increasing numbers, to find for the most part that stores of food and wine they had left behind were non-existent, they having been taken possession of meanwhile. Rail- way passenger traffic was resumed ; on the Seine the bateauif mouches conveyed, crowds of sightseers to the various river stations, near which the most interesting relics of the siege might be seen, including dis- mantled forts, dilapidated houses, devastated grounds, and burial places of victims of the war. For the payment of the indemnity to the Germans in accordance with terms of Convention it became necessary to raise a special loan. No sooner were the terms "^ of that Convention published than the people took it up with enthusiasm ; from morning till night queues of intending subscribers,^ from sums of a few francs to thousands, occupied the pavements in the vicinity of the offices where their contributions were to be received. Nothing could better indicate the frugality of the Parisian masses in respect to available money than the fact that a sufficient sum was thus quickly and readily obtained to enable the municipality to pay to the German authorities: at Versailles the first moiety — namely, one hundred millions of francs — of that indemnity. Return to the ordinary conditions of the capital went on; shops were re-opened; the windows made gay with mer- ' "The city of Paris is to pay a contribution of 200,000,000 francs (equal to ;^8,ooo,ooo sterling) within a fortnight. Public property is not to be removed during the armistice. All German prisoners of war shall immediately be exchanged against a proportionate number of French prisoners ; also captains of vessels and others, as^ well as civilian prisoners on both sides." ^ At this very time the ordinary 3 per cent. Rentes stood at 51 '20 ; while the new- loan for the indemnity stood at 52 '40. 284 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 chandise; gas re-lighted in the thoroughfares at night. Supplies of provisions and of money in large sums, sent from various sources, con- tinued to arrive, one noteworthy contribution of the latter kind being 112,000 francs from Mexico. The process of disarming the troops was still in progress, until the numbers should be reached in accordance with the preliminaries already determined. The Government of the Defence gave place to the National Assembly. The armistice was ex- tended, first from the 19th to 24th of February, then from the latter date to March 12, the Treaty of Peace being signed on 26th of that first named. Part of that Convention was that German troops should enter Paris, and occupy part of the capital until the ratification of the Treaty by the Assembly. Great excitement and threatened outbreak among the lower orders was the immediate result, while the papers of the day fanned rather than moderated popular ill-feeling by rhodomontade and calumnies in their columns. Preparatory to the entrance of the German forces, it was determined that those of Paris should occupy quarters for the time being on the left side of the Seine ; that the duty of maintaining order should be confided to the Garde Nationale. The citizen soldiers "magnani- mously " offered to take charge of the artillery guns, for the removal of which horses were non-existent; the whole were collected and " parked " in the Pare de Monceau, though at the time questions arose as to the means by which' they were again to be got from the hands of those to whom they had so fallen. Signs of probable disturbance multiplied apace ; barricades were erected in > some of the principal thoroughfares ; fights occurred between the most violent elements of the populace and the Garde Nationale, with the result that some of the guns were taken possession of by the former. Brought in contact with representatives of various classes of society, political and religious opinion, opportunity was afforded me to note the views expressed by them respectively as to the causes to which the present humiliation of Paris and of France was considered to be due. It was my custom to record the several opinions expressed in conver- sation as soon as I had an opportunity of doing so. I reproduce them as follows, rather than in a classified order, namely : — 1. The empire was looked upon as " expended." 2. The manhood of Paris and of France had become degenerated in physique ; the sick and the relatively weak having been alone left after the wars of the ist Napoleon to propagate their kind. 3. The study of the military sciences had been neglected ; officers underwent examination rather for the purpose of obtaining appoint- ments than to attain proficiency in knowledge of their profession. i87|] Paris after Capitulation 285 4. Defects in administration by the Intendance, and general obstruc tiveness in that branch of the service. 5. Over-centralization, so that when emergency of war occurred, no corps was complete in itself; materiel had to be obtained from Paris means of transport and roads being at once blocked in consequence. 6. The soldiers being allowed to give their votes at elections, their sympathies were diverted to their poUtical parties rather than with their military commanders. 7. Want of mutual confidence between officers from the highest to the lowest rank; between officers and their men, and between the men themselves.^ In fact, general mistrust prevails where confidence should exist. 8. The officers to a great extent being members of the same class of society to which the rank and file belong, there is an absence of that deference towards them by the latter, such as is considered essential to the maintenance of the highest order of discipline. From this and other circumstances there was said to exist a deplorable state of indis- cipline, of which indeed some striking illustrations occurred during the siege. 9. Laxity of discipline among the higher officers, due to the (assigned) circumstance that the deposed Emperor manifested hesitancy and un- certainty with regard to punishments for shortcomings and offences on their part. 10. A spirit of impatience of control and of opposition against authority, fostered by the conditions of social life in France, including the absence of domesticity, and, as a consequence, of lively affection between parents and children, and among children themselves, many of whom spend their early years among strangers. 11. The expenses connected with the unfortunate expedition to Mexico had so far exceeded the estimate, that the Emperor "feared" to make public the whole of the circumstances connected therewith ; hence it was considered necessary to divert to their liquidation money obtained nominally for current military purposes. Thus it was asserted ' Among other circumstances to which this want of confidence was assigned, on various occasions I heard enumerated " The Confessional " of the Romish Church, to- which the great majority of the people belong. The direct effect of that observance is said to be the breaking of confidence between members of the same family, and so on upwards throughout public, as in private life. In connection with this allegations made by so many vrith whom I had communication, the circumstance is significant that whenever and [for whatever poUtical end a " Revolution " takes place in Paris, the class of persons who are first and invariably attacked are the clergy of that particular denomination. 286 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 the actual condition of military establishments differed from that repre- sented on paper. 12. A general lowering of the moral sense, of which the religious sentiment is the first great principle. To this somewhat imposing list I append the subjoined, which was subsequently collated while perusing various works relative to the Franco-Prussian war, namely : — (a) Absolute unpreparedness of a war, which was begun " with frivolity without parallel." {b) General maladministration. (c) Antagonism between the Paris and Provincial Governments. {d) Misrepresentations of actual conditions contained in official Proclamations and in organs of the Press. (e) Political divisions and sub-divisions among the people, whether official or non-official. (/) Antagonism of interests and personal considerations among the higher administrators and commanders. (g) Disturbances fomented and brought about by agitators. (h) The inferior military qualities of a large portion of the citizen- soldiers. (t) Social immorality. For a long time past piety and moral earnest- ness have been much shaken in French society ; the cancer of frivolity and immorality has eaten into the heart of the people. That several of the defects above enumerated are real is beyond all question, even when allowance is made for those which are perhaps more theoretical than actual. Some had special reference to the epi- sode of the war from which France was about to emerge heavily crippled ; others have a prospective significance ; nor is it easy to con- ceive of success, so long as they are permitted to continue. Adverting to the non-military qualities already mentioned, and to the conduct in face of the enemy displayed by the extemporised citizen- soldiers, to whom per force of circumstances the defence of Paris had to a considerable extent to be confided, the fact is noteworthy and suggestive that, having become to some extent acquainted with the use of arms and with war, they became transformed into very dangerous elements when the Commune was declared. It was then that they fought resolutely against the Versailles forces, and committed many of the atrocities by which that occasion was to be disgraced.^ Of the * One of the first measures of the Government of M. Thiers, after crushing the insurrection by the Communists, including the National Guard, was to suppress the militia "force," so called. i«7i] Paris after Capitulation 287 troops belonging to the regular army, however, it is their due to observe that in actual combat the gallantry displayed by them could not be exceeded ; no more could their patient endurance under the difficulties, privations, and general hardships incidental to the siege. But indi- vidual qualities were overbalanced by the disadvantages and evils just enumerated. No sooner had the gates of Paris been opened, under provision of the armistice, than my coadjutor * with the Germans performed to me the good and brotherly act of bringing for myself, and for distribution among my friends and other persons whom I knew to be in necessitous circumstances, not only liberal supphes of food, but also considerable sums of money, contributed by charitable persons to me unknown. It was a source of lively satisfaction to be able thus to aid individuals and some institutions ; and in the performance of that most pleasant task several incidents occurred the recollection of which is still fresh. A few examples must suffice. One lady, to whom I carried a fowl, among other articles, was prostrate in bed, her physical powers reduced by starvation to an extremely low ebb. When I told her that she was simply dying from want of food, her reply was that she really had no appetite ; she did not think she could eat anything if she had it ; y«t when I supplied her with some savoury morsels to be used at once, and then the fowl to be cooked later on, her face brightened, she half raised herself in bed, and clutched the little articles I had brought to her. Another lady, to whom I presented some balls of butter, rolled up separately in bits of newspaper, did not delay to unfold the packet, but took a mouthful of the whole, including butter and paper. Being informed that I had a few red herrings for distribution, she next day drove to my hotel in her well-equipped carriage to receive one"^ of those savoury fish. The " Little Sisters of the Poor " were astounded and delighted to be presented with a small cartload of mutton, bread, eggs, butter, and various other articles ; for the aged paupers, to whose care till death they devoted themselves, had been reduced to extreme want, not a few having succumbed under their privations. In accord- ance with invitation from the Lady Superior, I visited their establish- ment to receive expressions of gratitude from its inmates, and in the course of my visit was shown through a ward in the uppermost storey into which a Prussian shell had penetrated, and where some of the old, decrepid inmates had there and then died of fright. A Roman Catholic Seminary sent a representative to express the thanks of its inmates for supplies given to them. As I subsequently was informed, ' Surgeon-General Sir J. H. Innes, C.B. '^ The only one that remained. 288 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 the nurses in an ambulance that I similarly aided danced round the table on which the supplies were displayed, while they invoked bless- ings on my head. Some British subjects to whom I was able to give assistance in food and money were most grateful. As regards myself, what I most craved for, and indulged in when opportunity offered, was fried fat bacon and fruit, more especially apples. 1871] Enemies Within Paris 289 CHAPTER XXXIII 187 1. MARCH. ENEMIES WITHIN PARIS German troops enter — " Occupation " ended — Troubles within — Officier de la Legion d'Honneur — Destruction by war — Visit to Versailles — Review by German Em- peror — Railway ambulance — Communists on Montmartre — Mission ended. THE representative statues in the Place de la Concorde were enshrouded ; guards placed on either side of positions to be occupied by the Germans. On the morning of March i, the head of a dense column of troops was seen approaching the Arc de Triomphe ; that monument passed, the " Army of Occupation " steadily made its way downwards along the Champs Elysees. In front of all rode a young officer, fair in complexion, his face pale, lips compressed, expression grave and resolute ; his name, as we subsequently learned, Bershardy, lieutenant in the 14th Prussian Hussars. Some signs of disturbance were shown among French onlookers ; they were quickly suppressed ; all knew that the guns of Mont Val^rien pointed towards the city ; that by them stood German gunners. All through the morn- ing troops poured in, until 30,000 men — the number agreed upon — were within their assigned places ; among them the Leib Regiment of Bavaria, the losses of which in the war exceeded numerically its strength when leaving Germany. It was now that the striking contrast in physique, tenue, and discipline presented by the newly-arrived forces, as compared with those to whom we had been so long accustomed, was strikingly apparent to all spectators ; doubtless to Parisians them- selves. Forty-eight hours, including one entire day, was the period mutually agreed upon as that during which the German forces were to remain within Paris. Precautions against collision between them and the populace were so successfully taken that crowds looked on and quietly listened to the foreign bands within their precincts. In other parts of the city, however, signs of restiveness were visible. Among the German troops, on the contrary, all was orderly and soldierlike. Early on the morning of the 3rd, " evacuation " of the city began, and withia u 290 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 a few hours was completed. Not until the rear column had passed the Arc de Triomphe did the mob, that meantime hung upon their flanks, begin to " demonstrate " ; a section of the withdrawing troops faced round ; the demonstrators fled helter-skelter. The work of sweep- ing and burning refuse in the great thoroughfares was soon begun ; it continued during the day ; by evening Paris looked as if it had not been entered by a victorious army. During the following night, internal troubles assumed the first definite shape of that in which they were soon to culminate. The National Guards withdrew from the Pare de Monceau some of the guns entrusted to them, together with their equipment and ammunition, to arrange them in order on Montmartre ; others were taken to the disaffected quarters, as Belleville and Vilette ; while a definite plan of further action was come to by the Communists. In the emergency so presented, no apparent action was taken by the responsible authorities ; citizen " soldiers " were permitted to retain arms; the use of which they had recently learned ; with what result was speedily to be seen. During the next few days scenes of pillage were enacted, wherever stores, of whatever kind, existed ; barricades were thrown up ; other prepara- tions, in various ways, made alike for defence and offpnce. As events developed, the commandant appointed to the National Guards was repudiated by the men ; they demanded that they should have the right to elect their own commander and other officers. Battalions displayed the red flag ; marched to the Place de la Concorde ; placed the emblem of Revolution upon the statues there, and upon public monuments else- where. On the loth, as the Germans marched from Versailles, the Communists placed on Montmartre the remaining guns, making a total of 417. Seven days thereafter the horrors of the Commune began. While the German army was entering Paris, I had the honour of being entertained at a deje&ner by the members of the Ambulance de la Presse, on the occasion of the distinction of Officier de la Legion d'Honneur '^ being conferred upon me by the Provisional Government. The venerable Professor Ricord was pleased to make me the subject of a toast, alluding in kind terms to my association with the French army and ambulances ; then, taking from his own button-hole the rosette of the Order so highly prized, he placed it in mine. An excursion to a little distance beyond Montrouge revealed a sad example of destruction : houses reduced to heaps of rubbish, with here and there a fragment of cracked wall left standing among them ; masses of charred timbers ; furniture and what had been ornamental pieces ' Date of gazette, February 21, 1 871. iS/i] Enemies Within Paris 291 strewn about in fragments among debris of various kinds, including dead animals. From among ruined walls of gardens and conservatories green young shoots of plants, revived by sunshine of early spring, serve^, by contrast with the scene of destruction around, to impress us the more. Were it possible for crowned heads of Europe to make a similar round, it might ensure peace for one generation. So thought we as we continued our walk through miles of devastation. Making a journey to Versailles, the party of which I was one passed by the heights beyond Meudon, on which were ranged the guns until recently employed in bombarding Paris, but now parked preparatory to being sent back to Germany. Several of them were seriously damaged ; others presented traces of work done by them in " the terrible battery," also visited by us ; its condition, abandoned to ruin. Thence we looked towards Vaugirard and vicinity, where greatest destruction by its shells took place. At Versailles, while dining in the grande salle of the Hotel des Reservoirs, then filled with Prussian officers, we saw among them Prince Leopold of HohenzoUem, the nomination of whom to the Spanish throne was the ostensible cause of the needless war now ended. Visiting in the Chateau the Galerie of Louis XIV., it was seen con- verted into an ambulance ward, its paintings damaged and torn as a result of wind and weather admitted through windows kept open for purposes of ventilation. The less severely wounded had been dis- patched to Fatherland ; those remaining were too seriously injured to admit of being removed ; in cots, above the heads of which stood can- vas representations of the "glories of France," shattered frames of recent conquerors lay in agony. Under the wing of a Times correspondent, I witnessed on the heights of VilUers a review by the German Emperor of three corps d'armk, consisting respectively of Bavarians, Saxons, and' Wurtembergers, all under command of the Crown Prince of Prussia. As the troops took positions assigned to them, it was observed by our friend, who had accompanied them from Rhine to Seine, that their numbers scarcely equalled half of those who entered France. An impression was said to exist among the Bavarians that more frequently than other corps they were so placed as to bear the first brunt of battle, and thus exposed to more than was fair of risks in action. It was further said that con- siderations of creed and politics had much to do with such an arrange- ment; hence some fears were expressed lest unpleasantness might now occur. All present, therefore, felt a sense of rehef when, as the Emperor, surrounded by his brilliant staff, rode on to the ground, a cheer burst from all ranks assembled. The inspection over, the troops marched off, the Crown Prince at their head. Next day the return to 292 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 Berlin began, the pride of victory no doubt saddened by memories of thousands from among them, to be left buried in alien soil. Being given an opportunity of testing railway arrangements for trans- port homewards of German wounded, I embarked at Pantin station in a train of that description. It was fully occupied by wounded men, for whose requirements and comfort every arrangement was complete, including staff and attendants. While in the train I was most courteously and hospitably received by the staff. The journey taken was somewhat long, nor did I get back to disturbed Paris till late at night. A visit to Montmartre enabled me to see the manner of disposal and position of guns from the Pare de Monceau, now in hands of the Garde Nationale, who have openly declared for the Commune. My companion ^ and myself, recognised as foreigners, were courteously escorted, first to one battery, then to another, comments meanwhile freely made by those accompanying us in regard to their plan of action. Still, as far as we were able to understand, no counter-measures were taken by the authorities ; and so the rising flood of revolution increased in volume and power, to burst disastrously three days thereafter. In obedience to orders I quitted Paris for England by evening train on March 14. Early next morning I was with my beloved wife, whose anxieties and fears during my absence had told upon her health. So ended the important episode in which I had taken part. 1 The late Mr. Laurence Oliphant. ~74] Dover 293 CHAPTER XXXIV 187I-I874. DOVER. ALDERSHOT Ordered to Dover— Garrisons— Short service— " Golden Rules "—Administrative duties— Lady de Ros— Alas ! Alas !— M. Henry Dunant— Aldershot. THE oflficial Report of the mission performed had to be sent in, that done, orders directed me to take over duty in the South- eastern District, of which Dover is Headquarters. A few weeks elapsed, when I received an order of readiness for India. For the first and only time in my career I had to plead inability to proceed ; long-con- tinued semi-starvation in Paris had so lowered physical strength that reluctantly I was forced to plead the circumstance. The authorities were pleased thereon to consider that episode! equivalent to a tour of , foreign service ; my name was placed at the bottom of the roster, and so the next three years were spent at the favourite station of England. All that time the quiet routine of duty was more ofan agreeable occu- pation than arduous or unpleasant work. Among some of the resident families acts of civility towards myself and family were numerous ; intercourse with staff and regiments most pleasant, so that recollections of place and people remain agreeable. Military positions and Departmental establishments connected with the ancient town itself had to be visited from time to time ; so also had several throughout the "district," including Shorncliffe camp, whence had proceeded in the early years of the century the force destined for Spain, under command of Sir John Moore ; Canterbury, with its associations connected with St. Augustine; Maidstone, provincial capital of Eng- land's garden ; Brighton, etc. Gradually was the system of short service in the ranks of the Army taking the place of that to which most officers of considerable standing had been accustomed. Complications and friction occurred in such a stage of transition among departments concerned in giving the change effect. In the ranks themselves all was not propitious ; the old class of non-commissioned officers gave place to young and inexperienced, whose authority, even when rightly exerted, was not always tacitly 294 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1871 accepted by the youthful and unbroken elements concerned. Moral influence such as emanated in many instances from old and experi- enced sergeants had all but died out ; trivial shortcomings on the part of young lads were magnified into " crimes " ; more than ordinary diffi- culty experienced by officers in keeping things smooth, yet " going." In matters of administrative routine difference of views between officers concerned seemed inevitable ; a satisfactory phase of official life, however, was that in the few instances in which such divergence occurred it was limited to official relations. Previous experience in- duced me to formulate certain principles in accordance with which correspondence submitted for decision should be dealt with ; to them I endeavoured to adhere.^ Another point taught by experience was that, in directing particular administrative ends to be attained, to leave to officers concerned the details of means by which instructions were to be carried into effect ; in that way responsibility attached to the execu- tive, while at the same time it left to them freedom of action. As a matter of history relating to an important episode, and some personages connected therewith, it is worth while to refer to the account of the famous ball in Brussels on June 15, 1815, related to me by Lady de Ros, daughter of the Duke of Richmond, and who was present on the occasion in question. How, while dancing and con- viviality proceeded, sounds of waggons and other heavy conveyances, guns and tumbrils among them, broke upon the ears of the gay throng ; how small groups of the higher officers entered into grave and subdued talk ; how, without exciting notice, singly they slipped away ; how in the early hours of morning of the 16th, "the Duke" himself took his departure ; how, as the remaining guests left the room, the turmoil in the streets of the Belgian capital resounded with the bray of bugles, trumpets, and military movements ;^ and how, before the day was over, several of those who had so left were brought back wounded, some dead, from Quatre Bras. [Subsequently, taking advantage of the sixty-one days' leave to which officers are entitled, I visited the house, now a convent, which ^ The following rules were those alluded to : I. Never write in a hurry. 2. Be unswayed by personal feeling. 3. Judge charitably. 4. Never act upon a Albuquerque having failed in one attack upon that place pro- ceeded to Goa, which he captured, and has ever since that time remained in Portuguese possession. Cannanore, situated further up along the Malabar coast, is also a place of great antiquity, though now of small importance. From the days of PUny, and long before then, the inhabitants of the whole district so named were known to be sea robbers and wreckers. At the present day, however, the descendants of those early pirates may be seen quietly at study, and learning useful handicrafts in the establishments belonging to the Basel Mission, which are in a very flourishing condition, if we can form an opinion on the subject from a cursory visit to them. An isolated military post is Maliapuram, situated in a district mostly covered with dense jungle, at the distance of a night's journey from Calicut. The result to me of the trip there and back through malarious forests was an attack of illness, recovery from which was due to the hospitable attentions received from Mr. and Mrs. Wigram. The object of the little garrison alluded to is to preserve peace among the Moplas, a manly, lawless race, whose descent is believed to be from Arab sailors who, in ancient times, formed connections with native (Tier) women. They are noted for their zeal as Mahomedans, for the rapidity with which " risings " take place among them, and the blood- shed incidental to those occasions. Bangalore has been already mentioned in these notes. The large cantonment for British troops, in respect to completeness of arrange- ments, is unsurpassed in India. In near proximity to it is the residence of the representative of Government at the Court of Mysore. From this place the routine usually is to proceed to Bellary, situated in the centre of the Indian Peninsula. Smaller than Bangalore, yet of considerable importance, it is the military centre of the Berar district, assigned in 1853 to the Government of India represented by Lord Dalhousie on account of certain subsidies then in arrear on the part of the Nizam. 312 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1875 Secunderabad, perhaps the largest military station in India, is situated at a distance of nine to twelve miles from Hyderabad. That important native city was visited after duty had been gone through, the visit performed on elephants, a guard of sowars furnished for our safe con- duct; nor was the precaution unnecessary, if an opinion could be gathered from the expression of men's countenances as we proceeded along the narrow winding streets. Our excursion was varied by a short trip by steam launch on the Meer Alum tank, and afterwards by a short visit to the mosques at Golconda. An unpleasant duty connected with my position, but one which fortunately had only at rare intervals to be performed, was that of re- porting otherwise than favourably on officers within my sphere of super- intendence. Such occasions only arose at the periodical inspections, and then the method I adopted was to read to the officer concerned the portion of the usual official report relating to the particular point commented upon, requesting him at the same time to furnish his explanation regarding it, so that the explanatory document should be transmitted together with the adverse comment. Otherwise, as it seemed to me, an injury would be inflicted without the officer concerned being aware of the grounds or extent of it, and without an opportunity being afforded him to defend himself. In fact, the whole system of " confidential " reports is open to very grave objection, as by their very nature they more or less " strike a man in the dark.'' In some instances, fortunately of rare occurrence, it was found that an officer, previously known to be zealous, painstaking, and otherwise efficient, suddenly displayed impatience of administrative control, and in other respects brought himself unpleasantly before the authorities. In the course of experience I came to know various instances in which the sudden change alluded to was in reality the premonitor of illness ; others in which it was the first indication of actual disease; con- sequently I was at the outset prepared to look upon such a change in one or other of these lights. This remark may apply to all classes 01 officers, more especially in the tropics, and I believe that much un- necessary disciplinary severity towards individuals under such circum- stances could be with advantage exchanged for more considerate methods. In my own branch of the general service, and in others, I had various opportunities of seeing the results of so-called " sweeping " reforms by " new brooms " and particular officers whose moving principle seemed to be that whatever is, is wrong, and therefore must be abolished. Happily for the personal comfort of all concerned, and for the benefit of the service as a whole, the great majority of administrative officers -So] Madras Presidency 313 have learnt that reasons are forthcoming, if sought for, to account for whatever may not be at first sight evident in reference to particular modes of routine ; therefore the officer of experience, as opposed to the mere "reformer," endeavours, in the first place, to ascertain the nature of those conditions, and having done so, to introduce slowly and gradually such changes as altered conditions may suggest. There are certain other points relating to administration which I may note. I had long ago become aware that in conducting duties, the making of promises other than such as could there and then be performed is a bad one ; circumstances are apt to arise which render it quite impossible to carry out those made in anticipation. In such cases great disappointment and often chagrin to the officer concerned was the result. Very bitterly as a young man had I felt rough and cavalier action towards me by senior and official superiors. It was accordingly my endeavour to avoid similar demeanour towards my juniors. In communicating expressions of official dissatisfaction, it was an object of my endeavour to avoid giving such an expression the tone of personality. During the greater part of the five years comprising my tour of service in the Madras Presidency, my family occupied a house in Ooty, for by that almost loving abbreviation was Ootacamund known. There my wife and daughter remained continuously, their occupation and enjoyment comprising horses, dogs, a farmyard, and garden. Thither in the hot season I repaired, as one of the officials entitled to that great privilege ; and there, while carrying on departmental duties, I was able to participate in the various occupations and enjoyments special to the place. Among those were rides, drives, excursions, and picnics, visits to various Government and other gardens and plantations, including tea gardens ; while to a lover of nature there was a never-failing source of interest in the phases of plant and animal life as we rode or walked along the various mountain faces by which the station was encircled. Society was pervaded by a spirit of sociability and friendliness ; that tone given to it by its leaders, the Ladies Grenville and Lady Chamber- lain. Official duty was conducted in a spirit of kind consideration between officials, at the same time that it was well and honestly per- formed. It was, then,, with great regret that my period drew to a close ; that having ended, my " relief" arrived. My five years in the Madras Presidency were indeed " the green spot " in my somewhat long period of service. In December, 1879, I embarked for England, In the early days of January, 1880, we landed at Southampton, whence we proceeded to Portsmouth, to which district I found myself 314 Thirty-nine Years in the Army [1875-80 again appointed. It was now the dead of winter. The rapid change from the heat of Madras to the bitter cold of this part of England caused severe illness in the person of my dear wife — a circumstance which gave rise to a fellow-feeling for the many soldiers' wives and children who undergo the same transition between extremes, but with- out sufficient provision in clothing and other requisites to enable them to withstand its effects. The routine of duty was much the same as it had been some ten years previous ; the one respect in which a change was visible referred to my own special department, into which alter- ations introduced seemed to tend neither to the well-being of the sol- dier nor comfort of the officer. My period of service drew to a close under the terms of a recently issued Royal warrant. Arrangements were made accordingly for handing over to a successor duties the performance of which had become in a manner second nature to me, so much so that their cessation was looked forward to as a blank in prospect. In the early days of April the Army Estimates for the current year were published. In accordance with them I was one of six to whom was authorized the reward for " Distinguished Military Services." On May 25, as the clock struck the hour of noon, I resigned my seat to the officer ordered to relieve me. In the succeeding Gazette the notification appeared that I was placed on retired pay. My active career was ended. [P.S. — In the Jubilee Gazette, 1897, the distinction of K.C.B. was conferred upon me. On August 1 1 following, at Osborne, Her Most Gracious Majesty was pleased to invest me with the Insignia of the Order. On December 2 I had the additional honour of^ receiving the Jubilee medal, transmitted by command of the Queen, to be worn in commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of Her Majesty's Reign.] THE END. INDEX Aberdeen, 105 Abimoosoo, 66 Abyssinia, 220, 222 Accra, 62 Aden, 163, 198, 222 Afghanistan, 90, 309 Africa, West Coast, 52, 53 -Aggery, King, 62 Agra, 16, 22, 26, 113 Albuhera day, 75 Aldershot, 296 Alexandria, 161, 199 Alighur, 32 Aliwal, 50 AUahabad, 19, 35, 36, 37, 122 Ambulances, 241, 242 Ambulanciers, 241, 245 Ancestral worship, 190 Anriesley, Captain, 131 Apollonia, 63, 64, 66 Arrah, lii, 114, 118, 138, 139, 143, 145, 148 Arrow affair, 55 Assault, Case of, 89 Atrowlea, 134 Axim, 64, 65, 69 Azimghur, 118, 125, 136 Field Force, 135, 146 B Balaghurree, 42 . Bangalore, 216, 311 Bankers, Native, 119 Barbados, 71 Baretto Junior, 70 Bath, Order of the, 79, 157 Batta, 34 Beas, The, 102 Beggars, Chinese, 188 Beheea, 139 315 Benares, 37, 216 Bentinck, Ijird George, 80 Berhampore, 14,41, 109, 117 Beypore, 298 Bhaugulpore, 41, 109 Bhootan, 214 Bindrabund, 25 Bishop, R.C., of Pekin, 184 Bombay, 297 Boyne celebration, 76 Bray, father and son, 17, 29 "Brooms," New, 312 Bronze Star, 43 Brown Bess, 22 Bruce, Hon. F., 181, 193 Buckingham, Duke of, 302, 308 Bulliah, 147 Buxar, 39, 81, 145 Cabul, I, 10 Cairo, 161, 199, 224 Calcutta, 10, 43, 103, 108, 113, 152, 203, 219 Calicut, 311 Cambridge, Ship, 58 Camp of Exercise, 22, 32 Campbell, Sir C, 16, 87, 112, I2I, 123 Canal, Ganges, 98 Suez, 205 Cannanore,'3ii Canton, 168, 169 Cape Coast Castle, S3-69 Town, 7 Captives by Chinese, 171 Cavanagh, Lieut., 28, 164 Cawnpore, 15, 18, 82, 109, 116, 122, 123, 204 Chamberlain, Sir N., 307, 309 Chanda, 126 Chandernagore, 43 3i6 Index Chartists, 73 Chatham, i, 2, 45, 46 Cheesewring, 158 Chefoo, 180, 192, 196 Chenab, 86 Chichester, 46, 47, 229 Children, Separation from, 208 Chilianwallah, 74 China, Emperor of, 19S expedition, 158, 160 indemnity, 194 Chinsurah, 10, 12, 13, 43, 81 Chitowrah, 140, 146 Chloroform, 28, 95, 184 Christmas, 1870, 270 Chumbul, 26 Chunar, 37 Chuprah, 119, 120, 124 Churchill, General, 28 Clarkson, Thomas, 53 " Clemency," 120 Clifton, Mr., 228 Cobra bite, 20 Colonels, The French, 156, 158 Commission, Sanitary, 209, 2l8 Confidential Reports, 312 Coonoor, 215 Comwallis, Lord, 39 Courage at sea, 45 Crimea, The, 97, 100, loi Crocodile, H.M.S., 226. Czar, The, loi Darjeeling, 206 Decorations, Sale of, 229 Delhi, 24, 112-118 King of, 150 Deobund, 82 Devonport, 153, 157, 200, 202 Dewalee Festival, 21 Deyrah Dhoon, 34 Dinapore, 39, 102, 110-114, 145, 151, 206 Disaffection, 205 Disaster, Arrah, III Cabul, 10 Jugdispore, 138, 143 Distilling water, 107 Donny brook Fair, 18 Dost Mahomed, 100, 205 Douglas, Brigadier, 137, 138, 145 Dover, 293, 295 Dowraha, 129 Duelling, 75 Dublin, 78 Dunant, M. Henry, 293 Dunbar, Capt., 112 Dr., 217 Elgin, Lord, 164, 171, 172, 203, 209 EUenborough, Lord, 17, 35, 50 Elmina, 56 Emily, Brig, 55 Encobra, River, 65 Enniskillen, 74, 77 Euphrates, H.M.S., 221, 226, 297 Evans, Sir de Lacy, 79 Execution parades, 18, 77, 122 Exercise, Camp of, 22 Exhibition, International, 80 Eyre, Major, 112, 1 18, 139 Famine, 307, 313 Fantees, The, 57 Fenwick, Col., 126, 131, 137, 141 Ferozeshah, 84 Fevers, Report on, 308 Flogging case, 53 "Flying column," 185 Foot, Chinese, 185 Franco-Prussian War, 231 French troops in Tientsin, 86, 192, 194 Futtehpore, 122 Futtyghur, 125 Galle, 163, 198 Ganges, 14, 81, 108, 121 Gazette Extraordinary, 152 Ghazepore, 38, 138 Ghizeh, 224 Gibson, Mrs., 228 Gold Coast, 57-62 fever, 88 Goojerat, 86, 92 Gporkahs, 39, 148 Gordon, Capt. C. E., 189, 210 Gough, Sir Hugh, 5, 21 Graham, Capt., 130 Grant, Capt. C, 27 Index Z^^l Grant, Sir Hope, 147, 172 Sir Patrick, 112 Gravesend, 3, 45, 72, 105 Grey, General, 30 Gros, Baron, 164 Guinea — See Gold Coast Gwalior, 17, 22, 25, 26, 30, 31 Gyah, 117 Gymnasium, 229 H Haines, Sir F., 298, 307 Hardinge, Lord, 35, 49 Haslar, 49 Havelock, Lieut., 131 Sir Henry, 113, 116, 118, 123 Hazarabagh, 208, 215 Head, Sir Francis, 74 Himalayahs, 33 Hobart, Lord, 306 Honan, 169 Hong-Kong, 165-171, 198 Hope, Sir James, 175, 202 Hospital, Charitable, Tientsin, 184 Foundling, 182 Women's, Devonport, 157 at Wuzzeerabad, 95 Hospitality, Regimental, 17 Hot season in Punjab, 87 Hummeerpore, 126 Hunting in China, 182 Hurdwar, 33 Hurricane, 80, 2ii, 221 Ibrahim Pasha, 51 Illness, My, 97, 102, 230 Indemnity, Chinese, 194 Indian, Ship, 2, 5 Indigo, 210 Inspection duties, 310 Inspections, Surprise, 77 Institute, Soldiers', 91 Irawaddy, River, 290 Jagadree, 83 Jains, 31, 214 Jounpore Field Force, 120, 124 Jugdispore, 138-147 Jumna, The, 83 Jung Bahadur, 113, 118, 149 K Kafilats, 152 Karens, 302, 303 Koer Singh, iii, 114, 125, 135-140, 145 KuUianpore, 82 Kurrunnassa, River, 81 Kyatzoo creek, 305 Ladies rescued, 132 Lahore, 99 Lamprey, Dr., 184 Lawrence; Sir Henry, 134 ^^. Sir John, 118, 120, 209, 220 L.E.L., 21, 60 Lives sacrificed, 115 Lloyifs, Ship, 8 Locusts, 20, 208 Loodianah, 83 Lucknovf, 113, 118, 120, 122, 127, 129, 130, 134 Lugard, Sir Edward, 143, 144, 145, 146 M M , Capt., Story of, 166, 202 Macarthy, Sir C, 57 Mackeson, Major, 93 Madras, 107, 215, 219, 297-313 Magrath, Capt., 31 Maharajpore, 26, 27, 42 Malabar, Wreck of the, 163 Maliaporam, 310 Malta, 161 March, The, in Africa, 65-69 England, 47 India, 18, 82, 103 Ireland, 74) 77, 78 Marlborough, Ship, 104 Marriage, My, 77 Masterly inactivity, 205, 2U Maun Singh, 119 Maynooth, 78 Medical officers. Army, 79, 132, 215, 296, 310 MeeanMeer, 96, 98, 1 15 Meerut, 32, 82 Mendhee Hussun, 136 Mess hospitality, 9, 17, 40 Mills, Mrs., Story of, 117 Mitchell, Capt. (Sir John), 28, 195 Mohurrum, The, 113 Monarch, Ship, 44 3i8 Index Monghyr, 40, no, 213 Monro of " The Blues," 75 Sir Hector, 37, 39, 40 Moodkee, 50 Moolraj, 81 Moses' Wells, 223 Mosque in Tientsin, 190 Moulvie, The, 132 Murder, Story of, 89 Murree, 93 Mutilation, 144 Mutiny of native regiment, 34 at sea, 9 Sepoy, 107-H9 "White," ISS Muttra, 25 N Nagasaki, 197, 198 Nana, The, 120 Napier, Sir C, 17, 27 Napoleon III., 82, 89, 201 deposed, 234 Neil, General, 120 Nepaulese, The, 39 " Neptune," 6 New Year, Chinese, 182 Nunnery, Buddhist, 189 Officer, Story of an, 204 Ootacamund, 215, 219, 308, 313 Opinion, English, 119 Opium dens, 102 Oriental, Ship, 298 Ornithology in Africa, 61 Oude, 16, 103, 113, 119, 120, 126 Family of, 149 King of, 108 Outram, Sir J., 112, 1 18, 125 Palkee dak, 16 Papamow, 19 Paris, 2o5 Siege of, 232-288 Sieges of, 246 Alsacienne, Story of the, 242, 246 Ambulanciers, 243 Avron, Plateau d', 271 Balloon post, 244, 246, 261 Bellemere, Gen., 252, 277 Belleville, 254, 267, 277, 279 Besieged, Conditions of, 274, 280 Bombardment, 272-278 Bougeval, 256 Boulo^e, 257 Bourget, Le, 257, 269 Cantiniires, 243, 257 — See Vivandieres. Caserne Papiniere, 270 Casualties, 273, 280 Champigny, 262-266 Charitable Fund (British), 250 Chatillon, 242-245 Claremont, Col., 233, 240 Commune, The, 258, 280, 283, 286, 290 Dangerous classes, 243 — See Com- mune Defenders, 238, 252, 253 Disaffection, 274 Disturbances, 260, 267, 282 Drancy and Bourget, 269, 270 Ducrot, Gen., 278 Duel, 268 Emperor, German, Review by, 291 Eugenie, Empress, 235, 253 Federals, 252, 257 Francs Tireurs, 254, 257 Garde Mobile, 237, 239, 240, 245, 257 Nationale, 236, 238, 243, 253, 257, 258, 260, 284, 290, 292 Humiliation, Causes of, 284 Irishman in French Navy, 271 Legion d'Honneur, 290 Lindsay, Col. Lloyd, 250 Madeleine, Requiem in, 259 Meudon, 242, 244, 273, 291 Montretout and Bougeval, 277 Montmartre, 238, 290, 291 Mont Valerien, 279 Nurses, 241, 242, 244 " Occupation " by German army, 289 P^re la Chaise, 259 Pigeon post, 249 Rationing, 260, 267, 275 Republic, 243, 252, 254, 255 Riots — See Disturbances Sedan, 240 Soldiers, Citizen, 274 Sorties, 255, 262, 269, 277 Spy, Captured as a, 233 mania, 26S St. Cloud Palace, 249 Index 319 St. Denis, 279 Supplies arrive, 281, 282, 28 7 Theatre Frangaise, 261 Thiers, M., 239 Times messages, 276 Trochu, Gen., 239, 257, 271, 279 Versailles, 238, 290, 291 Vilette, 254, 2S7, 260, 267, 279 Vinoy, Gen., 23S, 277, 279 Vivandieres, 252 Washburne, 276 Wounded Germans, 292 Zouaves, 253 Parkhurst, 228 Patna, 39, II2, I17, 147, 213 Pm?-/ Brigade, 119, 120, 124 Peel, SirW., 115. 122 Peeroo, 141 Pekin, 171 Penang, 164 Persia, 100 Petroleum, 301 Pigott, Lord, 306 Plassee, 43 Plymouth, 153, 1 57 Pollock, Gen., 15 Portsmouth, 48, 72. 227-230, 313 Portland, 228 Postage cheap in India, 98 Prestige, 137 Princess Royal, Ship, 72 Proclamation, Royal, 149 Proclamations, 148-150 Prome, 300 Pucka Serai, 92 Punishments, Army, 229 Punjab, The, 22, 23, 35, 40, 1 18 Puimiar, 30 Purbootpore, 81 Pyramids of Ghizeh, 225 Quacko Ako, 63, 68 Queen, H.M. the, in Ireland, 76 Rajmahal, 46, 109 Ramdeela, 38 Raneegunge, 120, 152. 209 Rangoon, 298, 305 Raper, Gen., 14 RattUr, H.M.S., 51 Ravee, The, 84 Rawul Pindee, 93, 95 Refugees, loS Regiments, — 1 6th Lancers, 24-29, 50 3rd Foot (The Buffs), 2, 18, 52, 220 loth Foot, 42, 80, 85, 94, 97, no S7th Foot, 74-100 Reinforcements, 115, 119 Roberts, Lord, 91 Robinson, Sir W., 307 Ros de, Lady, 294 Rose, Sir Hugh, 140 Rouen, 202 Russian warship, 51 Saharunpore, 83 Samath, 38, 218 Schools, Regimental, 156 Secunderabad, 311 Sedan, 234, 251 Sepoy mutiny, 107-115 Service, Short, 293 Sewan, 124 Shaloof, 222 Shanghai, 172, 173 5'/43«Mo» Brigade, 115 Shoay Gheen, 304 Sickly season, 59, 60 Sikhs, 148 at Tientsin, 186 invade India, 49 Sikkim, 207 Silver, Brick of, 133 Simla, 97, 102 Sinchal, 207 Sind, I, 17 Singapore, 164 Sitang, River, 303, 305 Sittana, 209 Slavery, 54, 57 Smith, Sir Harry, 22, 50 Snake-bite, 20, 90 Sobraon, 50 Society, Army Medical, 227 Soldiers, Discharging, 230 . Old, 52, 271, 310 Young, 309 Institute, 91 Life in India, 90, 91 Somnath, Gates of, 17 320 Index Sonthals, loi Sooltanpore, 127, 128 Soorma, The "flat," 108 Sotheby, Captain, 119, 120 Squadron, Experimental, 49, 50 St. Helena, 44 Staveley, Sir C, 196 Struck, Am, by soldier, 88 Succession in Guinea, 62 Suez, 162, 19S, 223 Canal, 205 Sunderbunds, 81 Sutlej, River, 15, 84 Suttee suppression, 82 Table Bay, 7 Taipings, 165, 172, 193, 194, 210 Taku, 154, 175 Taoists, 196 Tarifa, 160 Tartar soldiers, 185 Tea, Factory of, 169 Soldiers', 48 Telegraph, 97, 214, 220 Temple, Buddhist, 189 of Punishments, 180 Taoist, 196 Thebaw, King, 309 Thuggee, 87 Thyet Myo, 301, 303 Tientsin, 171-177 Tirhoot, 124 Todas, 216 Tonghoo, 303 Trait, 93 Transports, Indian, 205 Treaty, Chinese, 173 Trent affair, 199 Trincomalee, 221 Troopships, 4, 31, 44 U Umballah, 83, 102 Versailles, 201 W Wales, H.R.H. Prince of, 203 War, First Sikh, 50 Warrant, Royal, 149, 314 Watson, General, 37 Wellington, Duke of, 89 "White Man's Grave," 52 White Star, Ship, 180 Wife, Illness of, 92, 95 Wight, Isle of, 227 Winchester, 48 Women to be armed, 114 Wuzzeerabad, 86-95 Yoma range, 301 Butter & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London.