June 17th.—This morning, four of the men sentenced yesterday, were hanged at the MucheeBhawun; the remaining eighteen were liberated, as some doubts were entertained of their guilt.
Vague and most contradictory rumours came in this day about Cawnpore, but no authentic intelligence could be gained. The intelligence department, under the supervision of Mr. Gubbins, with two assistants, seemed to experience great difficulty in procuring reliable intelligence. Amongst others, Colonel Palmer, commanding the 48th Regiment Native Infantry, came in from the cantonments, waited on the Brigadier-General, and reported large assemblies of men near cantonments, the immediate abandonment of which he most earnestly advocated.
Although there yet remained some twenty-five lacs in the treasury, the expenditure had been on such an enormous scale during the last week, that cash payments were suspended, unless in exceptional cases. The money rewards, &c., promised to men of the several infantry regiments, whose good behaviour had been conspicuous on the night of the mutiny, were discharged by promissory notes. Major Apthorp of the 41st Native Infantry had an advance made to him to pay up and discharge twenty-five of his men who had escorted in the officers and ladies fromSeetapore; as it was reported by one of his drummers, that even these faithful few, who had all been promised promotion by Sir Henry Lawrence for their fidelity on that occasion, had expressed themselves to the effect that if Rajah Maun Singh came against them, they would all have to go over, and would murder their officers.