July 25th.—The night passed away tolerably quietly; the enemy firing several 18-pound shot into the Cawnpore battery. At daylight they were tolerably quiet, contenting themselves with musketry; but about 8A.M.they fired an 8-inch shell, which fell through the centre of the roof of the Post-office, and lodged on the table on which the officers of that post breakfasted; fortunately it did not explode, and no mischief was done. Immediately after, several shells, apparently thrown out of mortars, were thrown in, and continued to be so during the forenoon. One fell in the verandah of the Post-office, and shattered the hand of an artilleryman. Two men of the32nd were shot this morning by the enemy's sharp-shooters. Still not one word of intelligence from any quarter, though this was now the twenty-sixth day we had been besieged. We knew nothing; but the most absurd rumours were afloat amongst the natives, and indeed among many of the Europeans, who were credulous enough to believe them. Removed the powder out of the place in which we had it, to a tykhana under the Begum Kotee which the engineers considered safer than where it was first removed to. Very slight firing on the river side, but the enemy still very active near the Redan. Much difference of opinion existed as to the object of the work; the majority believed that they were mining, while the engineers thought they were only making a trench. Although the earlier part of the morning had been quiet enough, towards 11 and 12 o'clock, a very sharp fire was opened and maintained on the side of the Post-office and Cawnpore battery.
The casualties on this side alone amounted to six, besides three others in different places, which made the total of the day's casualties one of the heaviest on record. Towards evening the enemycommenced shelling us. Seven shells were sent in, but did no damage. Opinions differed whether they were discharged from howitzers or mortars.
About 11P.M.a pensioner, who had been sent out from this on the 22nd instant with a letter, effected his entrance into Mr. Gubbins's compound, and produced a letter which he had brought back from the camp. He was at once brought to Brigadier Inglis and examined. The letter proved to be one from Lieutenant-Colonel Fraser Tytler, Quartermaster-General with General Havelock's force. It was determined to transmit to General Havelock by this man a plan of our position and of the roads approaching it, with memoranda drawn up by the engineers.