From Major-General J. B. Hearsey to Major W. A. J. Mayhew on the circumstances of the station, 8 February 1857

From Major-General J.B. Hearsey, C.B., Commanding the Presidency Division, to Major W.A.J. Mayhew, Deputy Adjutant-General of the Army,--dated Head-Quarters, Presidency Division, Barrackpore, 8th February 1857.

        I have the honor to report, for the information of Government and of the Commander-in-Chief, the following circumstances which have taken place at this station.

        2. On receiving the orders of Government that an allowance would be authorised for the purchase and preparation of a grease such as the sepoys could have no objection to, for applying to the cartridges of the Enfield rifle, and having been supplied by Colonel Abbott, Inspector-General of Ordnance and Magazines, with some cartridges made up at the arsenal, also the paper in sheets, I directed Brigadier Grant to make known to commanding officers of regiments my desire that the order of the Government should be distinctly explained by them to their respective battalions on parade, and that the paper sent by Colonel Abbott with the cartridges should be shown to all the Native officers and men.

        3. This was accordingly done, and I confess I was surprised to learn that the paper (which has a somewhat glazed appearance) excited their suspicion that it had been prepared with grease as one of the materials, and Captain Boswell, who commands the wing of the 2nd Regiment, Native (Grenadier) Infantry, at this station, sent me a report that such was the impression on the minds of his men.

        4. Colonel S. G. Wheler, Commanding the 34th Regiment, Native Infantry, also waited upon me, and stated that the same objection had been raised by the men of his corps.

        5. I lost no time in ordering Brigadier Grant to assemble a Special Court of Inquiry to investigate this matter, and the native commissioned and non-commissioned officers of the wing of the 2nd Regiment, Native (Grenadier) Infantry, were to be directed to attend and to state freely and plainly any objection they had or could possibly lave to the use of this new ammunition.

        6. The Court accordingly met, and was attended by my son, Lieutenant John Hearsey, a College passed officer, who is now residing with me, and has been instructed in the Musketry School at Hythe when lately in England on sick furlough. Lieutenant Hearsey took with him to the Court one of these Enfield rifles and materials for making up the cartridges, to show to the native officers. This was done; the rifle was much admired, but, they still objected to the glazed paper, frankly stating their suspicion that it contained grease, and they would prefer to have the cartridges made up of the old paper which had been so long served out to them. In short, their suspicions are fairly roused on the subject of cow and pig fat, and it will be quite impossible to allay them, unfounded though they be.

        7. The Proceedings of the Court of Inquiry were yesterday transmitted to you, for the purpose of being laid before Government and His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief.

        8. On Friday night, the 6th instant, between the hours of eight and nine o'clock, Brigadier Grant, Colonel Wheler, and Lieutenant Allen of the 34th Regiment, Native Infantry, waited upon me at my quarters, and the two first named informed me that Lieutenant Allen had startling matter to communicate. This will be found in the written statement of that officer hereto appended. A descriptive roll of the sepoy who gave the information is likewise attached this letter.

        9. I immediately directed the Brigadier to order Lieutenant Allen and Lieutenant Harris, Adjutant of the 70th Regiment, Native Infantry, an intelligent young officer, to mount their horses and ride in the direction of the spot indicated where these delegates were to meet, and to bring me intelligence if they saw them assembled, or any men returning from that direction. I also instructed the Brigadier to lose not a moment in having the roll of every company called in its battalion lines, and all men absent to be reported to him. Brigadier Grant's official report on this subject is hereto annexed, from which it will be seen that all were present in their respective lines, save a few, whose absence was satisfactorily accounted for. It is likewise shown by this report that the two officers returned from their mission without having seen any party assembled or proceeding to their lines from the spot indicated.

        10. There can be little doubt but that a bad spirit prevails amongst the sepoys, particularly in the 2nd Regiment, Native (Grenadier) Infantry. The simultaneous fires at Barrackpore and Raneegunge (certainly by incendiarism) afford strong and reasonable ground for such a suspicion; though I am happy to add that none have occurred for several nights past, which may be perhaps attributed to the being strong picquets posted in the officers’ lines from which patrols are constantly sent to watch and apprehend any suspicious persons who may be moving about.

        11. I have also directed that a register shall be taken of all bazar [sic] people and camp followers, in order that the bad characters may be summarily ejected from cantonments, and I have further offered a reward of one thousand rupees to be paid to any person who may come forward and produce such evidence as will convict the incendiary or incendiaries of the telegraph and other bungalows.

        12. Deeming it to be my duty to keep the Government fully informed of all that may be occurring at this station, I have thought proper to enter into these details.

        13. I, moreover, consider it necessary to add my conviction that the sepoys are tampered with by designing villains when on duty Fort William and Calcutta, it having been frequently noticed by old military residents at this station that after frequent absences on such detached duty, many of them return to their lines with strange ideas and unsettled minds. I therefore think that if it could be possibly managed to have all the duties in that garrison and in Calcutta exclusively taken by the European regiment and the native militia, especially in Calcutta, the arrangement would be highly desirable.

        14. It is my intention to have the brigade paraded to-morrow, and myself explain the absurdity of the notion that Government entertains the most distant intention of interfering with their religion or caste.

From: Selections from the Letters Despatches and other State Papers preserved in the Military Department of the Government of India, 1857-58.  Edited by George W. Forrest.  Calcutta: Military Department Press 1893, 14-17.