| Description | He came down to Berhampore last Sunday, not wanting to do so without orders, since it is out of his subdivision. He completed cutchery court duties before leaving and on arrival Spencer and [William] Waterfield were in a rage with him for leaving it so long. The doctor poked his fingers into William and pronounced nothing wrong with William's constitution, but was unable to offer a diagnosis. Meanwhile, William is taking quinine and arsenic, but has a hollow tooth giving him pain. He discusses the ages of his sisters and he asks for a copy of the flyleaf of the family bible. The prospect of an inspectorship appears to be receding for Waterfield and himself; both are young for such an appointment, which requires tact. [Frederick James] Halliday panders to the public and almost roused a rebellion by an order which William is at a loss to explain. He gives an account of the clashes between missionaries and planters in the midst of which there was a bad case of oppression on a Christian village at Dacca [Dhaka]. The villagers are a constant source of discord and the landlords bully them in turn. The missionaries have inspired ideas of freedom and a refusal to pay illegal rents. Several of the villagers were concealed, but reappeared and were subject to an investigation which went to Sessions before Mr Kemp, a judge at Decca. He acquitted the prisoners and the missionaries, in a rage, sent a pamphlet to the Lieutenant-Governor. After a war of words Halliday sent the papers to the Sudder Nazarat who decided, on a majority, on a conviction. Kemp was removed from his post and was to be selected for another station, and his wishes in the matter were not to be considered. Kemp was given the station at Tirhoot [Tirhut] which he had always tried to get. Halliday's order was then reversed and Kemp's name restored. Halliday is seen as arbitrary and is disliked within the service. William notes that there has been a mutiny of the 19th Regiment of Native Infantry there, over the supposed use of the fat of pigs, cows and donkeys in greasing cartridges, which must be bitten to be used. Cartridges were refused at Barrackpore and the men were quelled from taking violent measures by a sensible colonel. At Berhampore, troops retired to their lines where they held a parade and refused to give up arms. Colonel Mitchell ordered them to ground arms, but they would not listen; he then ordered a regiment of cavalry and two guns loaded with grapeshot. The troops refused to obey until these were sent away, which Mitchell ordered, but they piled arms under a guard of their own. William thinks the regiment will be sent to Calcutta [Kolkata] to be disbanded and criticises Michell for 'his want of firmness'. Recently, another regiment refused to lay down arms and Lord Amherst opened fire so that 'half a dozen Regiments & as many guns mowed the whole line of Mutineers down to the ground'. It is thought that if Mitchell had acted in the same way, it would have stopped what may become a more widepread mutiny. Waterfield passes on his thanks for their kindness to his sister. William notes details of his last law examination in answer to his father and explains his attitude to the Inspectorship which Pratt offered him. |