erday I saw Captain Norman's letter of the 15th instant from
Delhi, addressed to Sir Hugh Wheeler. That gallant officer and the
whole of his force were destroyed on the 27th June by a base act
of treachery. Sir Henry Somerset is Commander-in-Chief in India
and Sir Patrick Grant in Bengal. Under the orders of the supreme
Government I have been sent to retrieve affairs here. I have
specific instructions from which I cannot depart. I have sent a
duplicate of your letter to Sir P. Grant. In truth, though most
anxious to march on Delhi, I have peremptory orders to relieve
Lucknow. I have, thank God, been very successful. I defeated the
enemy at Futtehpore on the 12th, and Pandu Naddi on the 15th, and
this place, which I recaptured on the 16th. On each occasion I
took all the guns. Immense reinforcements are coming from England
and China. Sir Patrick Grant will soon be in the field himself.
Lucknow holds out. Agra is free for the present. I am sorry to
hear you are not quite well. I beg that you will let me hear from
you continually.'

Two days afterwards another letter was received; this time from
Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser-Tytler, A.Q.M.G., with Havelock's force. It
was addressed to Captain Earle, A.Q.M.G., Meerut, and ran as follows:

'Cawnpore, _July 27th_.

'General Havelock has crossed the river to relieve Lucknow, which
will be effected four days hence. He has a strong force with him,
and he has already thrashed the Nana and completely dispersed his
force. We shall probably march to Delhi with four or five thousand
Europeans and a heavy Artillery, in number, not in weight. The
China force is in Calcutta, 5,000 men. More troops expected
immediately. We shall soon be with you.'

These sanguine expectations were never fulfilled! Instead of Lucknow
being relieved in four days, it was nearly four months before that
result was achieved, and instead of troops from Cawnpore coming to
help us at Delhi, the troops from Delhi formed the chief part of the
force which relieved Lucknow.

While we were rejoicing at the prospect of being reinforced by a large
number of British soldiers, a gloom was cast over the whole camp by
the rumour that Sir Henry Lawrence was dead. As the first British
Ruler of the Punjab, Henry Lawrence was known by reputation to, and
respected by, every man belonging to the Delhi Force, and all realized
what a s