A Lady’s Escape from Gwalior and Life in the Fort of Agra during the Mutinies of 1857

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A

Preface

TuovueH the interest in India, which a short time since was so deep and absorbing, has lost its thrilling excitement for some, and its bitter suspense for -others, and, though it may be thought presumptuous to add another, book to the many already written, there may still be those who will be interested in learning further details of life in India during the Mutinies : first, how our peaceful calm was threatened; then how, in one short hour, many were bereft of all that made life dear, and the struggle that followed to hold and sustain that life when stript of all earthly joy and hope. India may yet hold a place in the thoughts of some, as the last home and resting-place of many pear and dear to them.

In this simple narrative I have, of course, confined myself strictly to scenes and occurrences that have fallen under my own eye; many of which, as far as I am aware, have not hitherto found a narrator. It seems to amount almost to a duty, in the present unformed state of public opinion, that those who have been so unfortunate as to bear a part in the vi PREFACE, painful scenes in India should faithfully describe what they have themselves seen, leaving it to the public to draw their own conclusions.

By some my judgment of the natives of India

‘may be deemed harsh; but I had little time to know them favourably, and have suffered too deeply from them, perhaps, to be a lenient and impartial judge. To me their character is a sealed book, beyond the sanguinary page which was the oy. one opened to me.

The Indian Mutiny we must all regard as one of

God’s heaviest and most awful judgments. It8’cause, as yet, remains a mystery; but we will trust that out of such a fearful calamity, good will arise, but years must elapse ere we can look for it. The next generation of India may be redeemed: the present is too far gone.

- May the coming year of 1859 bring success to out arms in India; may peace be established there, and under the rule of our gracious Sovereign, may our

Empire there be. founded on a surer basis, and

Christianity be spread throughout the land. R. M. C.

“CALCUTTA +»

THE MOFUSSIL u La {THE MUTINIES .«

THE ESCAPE .

Chapter II. Pagb

THE JOURNEY

CHAPTER VIL

CHAPTER VII.

CHAPTER IX.

HOMEWARD

CONTENTS.

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Vv

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"PAGE

ERRATA.

Page 12, note, for “bearers,” read “ horses.” ? ? ?

29, lines 20 and 21, for “Noor Jehan (Light of the World)” read “Mumlazi Mahal Begum.”

67, note, for “ Rupees,” read “ Pounds.”

162, line 5, for “ Shah Jehan,” read “Jchanguire.”

165, last line but three, for “that grow,” read “The grass grows.”

227, line 8, for “carts,” read “ coats.”

268, line 16, for “who,” read “ he.” 5

294, line 1, for “ 40th,” read “49th ;” and for “ 18th,” “ 8th.

AND

LIFE IN THE FORT OF AGRA

DURING

THE MUTINIES OF 1857.

CHAPTER IL CALCUTTA,

WE veached Calcutta on the afternoon of the 17th of November, 1856. The usual bustle and excitement, consequent on the arrival of an overland steamer, ensued. We all gathered on deck to view the rapidly approaching land. Some, who were returning to homes and relations, welcomed this country of their adoption as an old friend. Others, like myself, examined with a critical eye the new and strange land which they believed would be their home for many years. At last we anchored, and the friends who had been impatiently waiting on shore put off to the vessel. Some of the meetings must have been very trying; children in anxious suspense to see their parents after long years of separation, and parents in like anxiety to claim their children. A. friend of mine told me he once overheard two fine fashionable-looking girls, just Come from some great school, say to one another, on seeing a boat approaching the ship, containing two yellow-looking, ordinary. people, “Who are those old quizzes? what an antediluvian couple!” when, to their horror and dismay, the despised couple claimed the gay young ladies as their own children. I heard many such tales of former days, when India was not so easy of access: but now, in these times of weekly intercourse, when boys and girls go backwards and forwards for their holidays, and when it is merely a pleasant trip to see the “City of Palaces,” the snow-capped, Himalayas, or the romantic beauties of Cashmere, such things never happen. :

My husband’s brother-in-lay now appeared, to our surprise, as we did not know he had arrived a fortnight before. Atthe same time, we were informed by a servant from the boarding-house, where we had engaged rooms, that a carriage was waiting for us; so without delay we bade adieu to our numerous - friends, many of whom we were never again to meet, and getting into the boat, were soon on shore, and driving rapidly through ‘the native part of Calcutta. I was much pleased with my first sight of the grand Fort, the Cathedral, the fine row of houses on Chowringhee-road, which is the,“ Belgravia” of Calcutta, the Maidin, or “ Hyde-park,”

“CALCUTTA. 3 and the imposing-looking Government House, whose lofty dome was surmounted by some adjutants (birds) looking down on what ‘was passing below, with grave, attentive dignity. But it is not my intention to give more than a slight description of Calcutta; I was ‘there only five weeks, and abler writers than myself have so often: described it, that Calcutta is better known to the generality of people in England than. Paris or Rome. There is scarcely a family in the three kingdoms that has not some friend or relative in India, and who has not sent home an account of Calcutta, its splendid mansions, its balls, races, and the luxurious life of its inhabitants.

We arrived before long at our destination, Miss Wright’s boarding-house, one of the quietest and best conducted establishments of the kind. We much preferred it to the confusion of a great hotel : my husband too had been there before. Miss Wright we found a most pleasant and attentive hostess. Our large airy room reminded me of some in the German hotels. After the luxury of a bath, we waited for dinner in the drawing-room, which only differed from an English one in the quantity of its lights, By this time the room was filled with hungry people, ready for dinner, an agreeable mixture of clvil and military, but no ladies. A native appeared with meekly folded hands, and in a sedate voice said, “Khana mez pur hi” (Dinner is on the table) We then proceeded to the dining-room, which we had

B 2 only been separated from by silken curtains. The table was surrounded by -native servants, ‘gaily attired in their winter clothing, of different coloured eloth. I only noticed a few odd things; one was the want of decanters: the black bottles were clothed in pretty netted covers, and the tumblers had small silver covers to keep out the insects. I remember sitting next to a poor young officer, who gave me an account of fever, ague, and other Indian drawbacks ; he looked dreadfully ill, and was on the eve of embarking for England.

The next morning my husband went to call on the Bishop, and report his arrival; and also.to hire a buggy for our morning and evening drives. I, in the mean time, was employed in selecting an ayah,* a difficult task, as I knew next to nothing of the language; but Miss Wright kindly helped me, and selected a clean-looking woman, who had thd best chits (written character). I was very mucli astonished to see the number of servants we required, even in a lodging-house—a kitmutghar,f an ayah,* a bearer, a dhoby,{ and a dirzie§ After tiffin we dressed for our evening drive. The carriages and horses were equal to those seen daily in Hyde-park, and the ladies were most exquisitely dressed. Dressés from Paris arrive every fortnight, and the climate only requires a very airy style. We drove: down f * Ayah, Iady’s maid. t Kitmutghar, butler. + Dhoby, washerman. - § Dirzie, tailor.

* CALCUTTA, ee

Chowringhee-road, and on to the Maidan, or public esplanade, which extends several miles, round Fort William, and along the banks of the river. Many dangerous accidents happen here during the year, One morning I saw a beautiful horse lying on the road, with its leg broken, and a lady whom I knew had two horses killed in one year. Sailors, when they get a holiday, invariably spend it in driving . about recklessly in a wretched hired buggy with tumble-down horse in the midst of the -splendid equipages, and as they are often intoxicated, accidents of course follow. I was told that a sailor made the following excuse the day after one of these accidents:—“I'saw two lights ahead, and steered straight between them.” Calcutta was not then lighted up after dark, with gas, so there was an order for all the carriages, at a certain hour, ” to carry lamps. The aspect of the river was very interesting: it was crowded with vessels of all nations, from the well-built English and American frigates and steamers, to the picturesque craft froin the Persian Gulf, and"the queer Arab boats, with their strange, wild-looking crews and gay flags. The scene was more striking here than in London, or any English port, on account of there being nothing to take off your attention,

A Calcutta “turn out” deserves a description. The carriage is like any London one, but the pair of glossy, graceful Arabs are worth looking at: they a 6 A LADY’S ESCAPE FROM GWALIOR.

are stud horses, with the stud mark branded on their flanks, and though rather small, make up for it by their grace. The coachman is a stately individual, in a white dress, and gay cummerbund,* made of two different coloured bands, twisted together. The turban is not, as we fancy, simply a piece of muslin wound round the head, but is regularly made up, turban fashion; and obliquely across it is a corresponding band, with the master’s crest in silver, like the thistle on a Scotch-cap. The European children were all assembled in the Auckland, or as they were often called, the “ gardens of Eden,” the Miss Edens having planned them: poor little things! they looked pale and sickly, and sadly overdone with grandeur. Fancy a tiny child, gaily dressed in the Highland costume, followed by an ayah, and preceded by a syce,f leading his diminutive steed, and a bearer t holding a large white umbrella, and two chuprassees.§

After driving for a couple of hours we returned to dinner. .

I will describé how each day passes in Calcutta.

We rise at daybreak, half-past five; the morning is heralded by the cawing of myriads of crows, the. sharp squealing of kites, and the twittering of sparrows: very different from the awakening in a quiet country-house in England; and instead of thinking

* Cummerbund, sash: f Syce, groom. + Bearer, valet. § Chuprassees, Government servants.

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b CALCUTTA. 7 and indulging for an extra half hour, we start up, hurry over our bath and dressing, and then go out for a drive of an hout: and woe betide your head if you remain out too long without the buggy hood up. We then loiter as long as we dare in the garden; return in and partake of chota hazerie, bresd and butter and tea; bathe, and dress for breakfast at 9 o’clock: after that, most ladies occupy themselves with their households and children. My husband werlt out to the shops to buy things for our journey up the country.

At twelve, a dead calm falls on the whole ie The delicate European lady in her lofty chamber, the poor coolie with his head wrapped in his turban, and curled up in some corner, or basking in the sun, even the animals, are alike slumbering. At two there is fiffin; we read. and amuse ourselves till five, when we again drive out, dine-at seven, and retire to bed at ten, But the gay inhabitants. of Calcutta don’t keep such early houts: the cool time of the year is their “season,” when they keep as late hours as “ Londoners.”

The houses in Calcutta are very fine ones, from fifty to sixty feet high; many of the rooms are forty feet long, and very lofty. The white chunam,* contrasted with the green verandahs, has a dazzling effect. The floors are made of white chunam, and carpeted with light,’ pretty matting. Many of the

* Chunam, a fine stucco or cement.

~ e 8 A LADY'S ESCAPE FROM GWALIOR.

entrance halls and dining-roomis are paved with marble. I was much struck with the number of outside staircases, or ladders, ‘for the natives to reach the upper stories without going through the house.

Our room opened into a pretty garden, where we often walked, and the old gardener used regularly to give me a nosegay every morning.

My husband went one morning to a large clerical breakfast at the palace, and returned with a kind invitation from the Bishop for me to breakfast there. So, on the appointed day, we drove to the palace; a large well-built house. The Bishop was very kind and friendly in his manner, and talked much about England, and some friends of his whom I knew. We then went into the chapel, a small room, filled with benches, where the Bishop read the Psalms for the day, and a long extemporaneous prayer. At breakfast the Bishop told my husband the station he was to be appointed to was Gwalior, which both he. and Dr. Pratt seemed: to consider a very good one. The Bishop,then turned to me, and said, “ I have given your husband this station, which is a very desirable one, as he suffered so much in’ Burmah.” After breakfast he asked us to stay in the palace, but as we had engaged our rooms for some time at Miss Wright’s, we refused his kind invitation.

We often went out to the shops to buy things we should require at Gwalior, -Some of the bookshops

® ~CALCUTTA. 9 were very tempting, with all the new publications lying on marble tables, and ,the rooms so cool and ‘dark that it was quite % treat to rest in them after the dusty, glaring streets; but it was very dangerous to linger long, as the books were double the price they are in England, I was very much amused with the Exchange, a large place, where everything is sold; the shopmen here are natives, but they speak English very well. I know 51. seemed to go no further than 1J. in England, everything was so dear. I now felt: what a pleasure it was to receive letters from home, and often solaced my home-sickness, or, as the Germans more poetically call it, “ Heimweh,” by the “sweet singing nightingales of the pen of correspondence.”

. A steamer arriving, the fresh influx of people crowded every hotel and lodging-house. to overflowing. My uncle, Colonel Stuart Menteath, his wife and daughters, arrived. They had to stay a day or ’ two on board before they could get rooms, and then they could only get unfinished ones at Wilson’s, up a steep flight of stairs. I went to,see them, and the confusion was tremendous. Part of the house was a ‘large shop, where everything could be: got, from a wedding trousseau downwards. One morning we went with Colonel Goodwin to see a school he had established to teach the natives modelling. Some of the models were wonderful. When they did them very well they were allowed to sell them. Colonel

Goodwin gave me one or two: I remember one was a model of a little mouse. ,

My .husband’s bearer was a perfect specimen of a “mild Hindoo” (so much raved about at home). He was lithe and slender, with beautifully formed hands and feet, clear olive skin, well-cut features, and white, regular teeth. His movements were most graceful and refined, and he was,most particular in the fashion of his dress. . :

We asked some friends what. sort of a place Gwalior was, and found it was not under the Government, being in the Mahratta states of Gwalior and Indore; the rajahs of which are each bound by treaty to maintain a body of troops, officered from the Company’s army, and under the sole orders of the British Residents at their respective courts. Scindiah’s Contingent consists -of five corps of artillery, with thirty guns, two regiments of cavalry, seven of infantry, in all ‘about 7,300 men. This Contingent was called into the field during the dis-" turbances in Bundlecund, and did very good service. A good description of Gwalior ‘will be found in “ Blackwood” for 1844; and for a panegyric on the sepoys, people must read Alison’s “ History of Europe,” vol. x., page 370. We were told Gwalior was considered, though very hot, a healthy station, and the society there very pleasant; for, being a Contingency, the officers and their families did not change so often as at other stations.

CALCUTTA. 1l

We missed, in the flat country, the graceful undulations and hill and dale of our own home scenery. There is no hifl which you may ascend and have a good prospect of the surrounding country: you cannot see beyond the flat, dirty-looking plain, and your eye.soon weaties of the extensive cotton fields, only varied by miserable native villages, with stagnant pools and open drains. We had often to turn back when attempting to” pass through some ‘of these villages, the dense feeling of the air and smell of malaria making it unpleasant to proceed. I was sorry we could not see Barrackpore, my relatives who had formerly been there having left, for I heard the park and Governor-General’s country residence were very fine. Lord and Lady Canning seemed to prefer this residence, as they only occasionally came into Calcutta for a state dinner, &q Many of the Calcutta people spend their Sundays at Barrackpore.

The gentlemen at our boarding-honse often spent their"evenings at the opera or other public places of amusement. The opera-house is an odd-looking building, built of bamboos, and thatched.

We often’ used to watch the cricket-matches on the Maidan. Cricket and races seemed the principal amusements of Calcutta. The natives, whose only amusements are sleeping, smoking, or watching the ‘dance of the Natch girls*, who soothe them to sleep by the tinkling of their ornaments and thcir languid

; * Natch girls, dancing girls.

movements, must have laughed at our toil after pleasure.

We went one day to see‘the Mint, and were fully initiated into the merits of gold mohurs, rupees, and annas, by Dr. Boycott, the assay master, to whom we had an introduction. I thought the device on the gold mohurs very pretty—a lion standing near a palm-tree; though the former seemed rather out of proportion. Many ladies make bracelets by stringing these coins together ; and they often have ornaments made of rupees melted down: one rupee will make b thimble. The effect of the nearly nude black figures of the natives flitting about in the darkness, dimly lighted by the forge fires, was, very unearthly.

We spent another day very pleasantly -at the Bishop’s College, founded by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, with Dr. Kay, whose society we much enjoyed; he was very clever and agreeable, and my husband had met him before. We walked in the evening of the same day to the Botanical Gardens, in which I was rather disappointed, having formed my ideas of tropical plants and gardens from the splendid conservatory at Chatsworth.

We now began to make preparations for our departure from Calcutta. We bought a grand piano, a buggy, and stores of glass, &c., and then 6 Jaid our dik,”* which is necessary in order to have

* Laid our dak, i.e. arranged our relays of begrérs. baacte

CALCUTTA. 13 relays: of horses. The great number of people who were on their way up to the North-west Provinces made it necessary to bespeak’a dak carriage. Some ten years ago, when people travelled up in palanquins, , they used to have relays of bearers at every stage, and arrangements made. The money is always paid beforehand. I think our journey altogether up the country cost us between 502. and 601. We could only go as far as Agra by dak carriage ; from thence to Gwalior we were to proceed in. the old way by bearers’ dak. We then hired a kitmutghor ; but I could not hear of an ayah who would jeave Calcutta. We bought a mattress, pillows, lamps, and: blankets, to fit up our gharry,*

as wé were told not to depend on the supplies of the dak bungalows. We then sent all our boxes, except two portmantgays, by bullock train, as we are only allowed to ia ke aa certain weight of luggage on the gharry.

I aacsinnch amused at the way. the Calcutta people spoke of our going up the country; they considered it banishment. Many of them had never been beyond Barrackpore or Dum-Dum.

We had an invitation to a ball at Dum-Dum, to which my aunt and cousins went, and also one to Government House; but we could not stay, as all our arrangements were made, and: our boxes sent off. I was very much disappointed at not seeing

* Gharry, carriage.

Government House, as I had heard so much of it, a relation of my father’s having been Governor- General. i

T went to say good-bye to my aunt and cousins— my uncle had just left for Mooltan; they were not going to Simla till after Christmas, which is always a gay time in Calcutta. The indigo merchants and other grand people flock in from the country to enjoy the gaieties, and every one buys presents. Wilson’s shop, which is brilliantly lighted up and decorated, is a great resort for buying Christmas gifts. My aunt told me she had written to her sister, Mrs. Douglas Campbell, who was at Gwalior—as her husband, Captain Campbell of the Engineers, was superintending the completion of the road from Agra to Indore, through Gwalior—to ask her to receive us, till we could get a house of our own. I was very glad to hear we should have such a friend at Gwalior, as I had often heard of Mrs, Campbell.

We left Calcutta on the 21st of Decembex. Altogether I did not think Calcutta looked much like the capital of a country called “The Queen’s penal settlement for paupers.”

We were anxious to reach Benares by Christmas-day, which we wished: to spend with my husband’s sister and brother-in-law, who had left Calcutta soon after our arrival.

a CHAPTER II.

THE MOFUSSIL.

WE started in a palki gharry* for the ferry, which we crossed in a small steamer, crowded with people going to the railway station—some, like ourselves, ‘ beginning their journey—and hosts of natives. We saw floating down the river many bodies of dead natives, all in that state described in the song of the “White Lady of Avenel,” which so terrified the poor Sacristan; only a crow instead of a pike was diligently picking at the fishy, horrid-looking eyes of the dead bodies. The river was crowded with different vessels.

I was quite pleased on arriving at the railway station to see again the engine with its long row of carriages. My husband here met some friends of his, a young Officer and his wife, who had been his fellow passengers to England the year before by the “ overland route.” They had just returned by the Cape, and were on their way to their station. I now saw, for the first time, some elephants; for they are not allowed to come into Calcutta, as they frighten

* Palki gharry, palanquin carriage.

the horses. The railway carriages were very comfortable, and quite luxurious in their fittings up; you could draw out a board between the seats, and so recline: very different from the narrow, closelypacked carriages in England. We enjoyed ourselves very much talking to our friends.) My husband talked to Captain F and I to his wife: she was very pretty and engaging, and I found her conversation most agreeable. She talked all about Indian society, and seemed to prefer it to what she called the “cold, formal English manners!” She also gave me a great many friendly hints about travelling and station life. About six months afterwards I saw her name in the long list of Cawnpore victims.

We passed many small stations; at one we got out, and had some refreshments. If it had not been for the view from the windows, I could have faricied myself travelling from London to York.

About five in the evening we reached Raneegunge, 121 miles on our journey, and there bade adieu to all comfortable travelling; not without a strong wish that they would soon continue -the railway on to Agra, and so facilitate travelling, and make India as much like home as possible. No one can imagine the benefit it will be when India is traversed by this gigantic system of communication. The hotel was a few yards from the railway station ; before it stood several d&k gharries, and a travel-

THE MOFUSSIL. "ay ling carriage: belonging to some officer, who preferred travelling in it to a dak gharry.

After a bath and “dinner, we all commenced packing our gharries. I was much amused to see how our friends packed theirs; they were “up to” all manner of travelling “dodges,” and very kindly helped us to arrange our small quarters, where we were to pass the night. At last we all started: about six gharries, one full of young officers who seemed to enjoy the‘fun.

I never saw our kind friends again; they reached Agra before us. Captain F —— went on to the Punjaub, and his wife first went to stay with some friends at Delhi, and then at Cawnpore, so her poor husband was in uncertainty as to her fate for months, When he at last heard the dreadful news it nearly killed him.

The drivers began to blow their shrill horns, and make the night echo to their wild music. The horses went a tremendous pace at first, but soon relaxed their speed, and required incessant flogging, We changed horses every six miles, and it was rather annoying to be awakened out of a sound sleep by the process of changing. The horses are very troublesome: at times they will rear, kick, plunge, back, and go through a series of gymnastics by no means agreeable to the occupants of the carriage, and disturbing all their little arrangements.

The next morning we stopped and breakfasted at

- C a dik bungalow. These bungalows have been so often described, that I will only say the first F saw, struck me as being:.very dreary and desolate: near it were two tombstones. erected to the memory df two unfortunate travelless, who had, I believe, died of cholera. Our route now lay through a rather more picturesque country. It was. very dull work, however, as we could not read on account of the : jolting; we did try to make up a few Hindoostanee sentences with the aid of a dictionary, but it was very puzzling: my hushand knew very little of the language, as Hindoostanee is not spoken in Burmah, and he had a Portuguese servant there. I always. felt inclined to speak to the natives in German. or French.

About midnight on the second night we met with an unpleasant accident. When we were botlr fast asleep we were suddenly awakened by the sensation of falling from a height, which was followed by a roll over and tremendous crash. Then came sundry ominous bangs, caused by the hoyse’s kicking, and the wails of natives. We, after some difficulty, opened the door, and extricated ourselves, and I mounted the bank we had fallen down,- with my husband’s help, as it was very steep. It was bitterly cold, and my husband threw up to me some wraps to cover myself with, whilst he picked up the kitmutghar, who lay groaning on the ground, declaring his leg was broken; he had really hurt himself, having fallen from the top, where he had sat amongst the boxes. We found out that the cause of the accident was the driver having fallen asleep over his hookah:* We then both set to work to scold him in Hindoostanee,/and not being sufficiently fluent in that, had recourse to English; which we had been told natives disliked more, as they did not know what it meant. “What they consider’ the most opprobrious epithets in Hindoostanee are “khala sour,” “ hurrumzadu,” and “mourgeu” (black pig, infidel, and fowl). The syce and driver begam to shout and yell, which in about ten minutes brought a flock of cooliest from a neighbouring chowki;{ andi then began the process of dragging up the shattered. carriage and horse (the latter being much hurt), and: collecting our scattered goods, by the light of a single lantern which we had brought with us. The céolies afterwards dragged the carriage to the next chowki, where we got a fresh horse ; further on, at Shergotty,.we procured another gharry. , Our adventure prevented us from breakfasting with Colonel Goodwin’s son, near Shergotty; which was very provoking. We afterwards heard that the place of ‘our accident was the haunt of tigers, being near a jungle. Some travellers had had their syce carried off by one the week before, and had been only disturbed by the poor creature’s shrieks when it was too late to save him,