From Major-General J. B. Hearsey to Major W. A. J. Mayhew concerning the rumor that sepoys must embrace Christianity, 28 January 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 Barrackpore, 28th January 1857.

        I beg leave to report, for the information of Government, that an ill-feeling is said to subsist in the minds of the sepoys of the regiments at Barrackpore. A report has been spread by some designing persons, most likely Brahmins or agents of the religious Hindu party in Calcutta, (I believe it is called the Dhurma Subha), that they (the sepoys) are to be forced to embrace the Christian faith.

        On this report was grafted, as an overt act to cause them to lose caste, the distributing amongst them of ball cartridges for the new Enfield rifle that had the paper forming them greased with the fat of cows and pigs.

        2. I should not have allowed these idle and groundless rumours to have had any weight on my mind, knowing that the latter circumstance (regarding the cartridges) would be remedied as soon as reported to higher authority, and trusting to the well-known repugnance of all officers with native regiments to act or do anything that could be construed into a wish or desire to interfere with the religious prejudices of the men under their command.

        3. But the circumstance of a sergeant's bungalow being burnt down at Raneegunge, supposed to have been caused by an incendiary, {a wing of the 2nd Regiment, Native (Grenadier) Infantry, from this station being now there}, and also three incendiary fires having occurred at this station within the last four days;--one, the electric telegraph bungalow, and since then two bungalows that were unoccupied; the second occurring only last night; as also Ensign F. E. A. Charmer, 34th Regiment, Native Infantry, having taken a lighted arrow from the thatch of his own bungalow; has confirmed in my mind that this incendiarism is caused by ill-affected men, who wish thus to make known or spread a spirit of discontent, and induce the sepoys to believe they are all labouring under some grievance, which they have not the manliness to make known to their officers.

        4. Perhaps those Hindus who are opposed to the marriage of widows in Calcutta are using underhand means to thwart Government in abolishing the restraints lately removed by law for the marriage of widows, and conceive if they can make a party of the ignorant classes in the ranks of the army believe their religion or religious prejudices are eventually to be abolished by force, and by force are all to be made Christians, and thus by shaking their faith in Government lose the confidence of their officers by inducing sepoys to commit offences (such as incendiarism) so difficult to put a stop to or prove, they will gain their object.

        5. Brigadier Grant directed commanding officers of regiments at this station the day before yesterday to parade their corps, and ask them if they had any grievance to complain of. Three of the officers have reported their men to be perfectly satisfied, and Colonel S. G. Wheler, Commanding the 34th Regiment, Native Infantry, assured them the rumour so industriously circulated was false, and the native officers and men said they were satisfied that it was so, but one native officer respectfully asked if any orders had been received regarding Enfield rifle cartridges. This he could not answer, as the letter permitting the ghee or other material to be used for that purpose by the men only arrived this morning. I have, however, directed its contents to be made known to every regiment in the cantonment, and a copy to be sent to Lieutenant-Colonel C. S. Reid, Commanding at Dum-Dum, for Major Bontein's information.

        6. It is my purpose, should this uneasy feeling not abate, to parade the brigade, and myself explain the absurdity of the notion that and most distant, intention to interfere with their religion is contemplated by Government.

        7. I am sorry to add that I this morning heard that the Officer Commanding Her Majesty's 53rd Regiment in Fort William wrote the officer in command of the wing of that regiment at Dum-Dum to warn a company to be ready to turn out at any moment, and had distributed to the men of the company ten rounds of balled ammunition, informing that officer that a mutiny had broken out at Barrack amongst the sepoys!!! No copy of this letter or note was sent Lieutenant-Colonel C. S. Reid, Commmiding at Dum-Dum, nor Brigadier Grant, or to myself. I need not enlarge on the great impropriety of such a proceeding, as if it becomes known to the sepoys, it will undoubtedly create an ill-feeling amongst them.

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, 4-6.