Cawnpore is a town in India, on the right bank of the Ganges. In 1857 the native regiments stationed here mutinied and marched off, placing themselves under the command of the Rajah of Bithoor, the notorious Nana Sahib. General Wheeler, the commander of the European forces, defended his position for some days with great gallantry, but, pressed by famine and loss of men, was at length induced to surrender to the rebels on condition of his party being allowed to quit the place uninjured. This was agreed to but after the European troops, with the women and children, had been embarked in boats on the Ganges, they were treacherously fired on by the rebels; many were killed, and the remainder conveyed back to the city, where the men were massacred and the women and children placed in confinement. The approach of General Havelock to Cawnpore roused the brutal instincts of the Nana, and he ordered his hapless prisoners to be slaughtered, and their bodies to be thrown into a well. The following day he was obliged, by the victorious progress of Havelock, to retreat to Bithoor. Research Cawnpore Mutiny
The birch (Betula) is a genus of trees of the order Betulaceae, which comprises only the birches and alders, which inhabit Europe, Northern Asia, and North America. The common birch is indigenous throughout the north, and on high situations in the south of Europe. It is extremely hardy, and only one or two other species of trees approach so near to the north pole.
There are two varieties natives of Britain, Betula alba, and Betula alba pendula, or weeping-birch, the latter a very beautiful tree. The wood of the birch, which is light in colour, and firm and tough in texture, is used for chairs, tables, bedsteads, and the woodwork of furniture generally, also for fish-casks and hoops, and for smoking hams and herrings, as well as for many small articles. In France wooden shoes are made of it.
The bark is whitish in colour, smooth and shining, separable in thin sheets or layers. Fishing-nets and sails were formerly steeped with it to preserve them. In some countries it was made into hats, shoes, boxes, etc. In Russia the oil extracted from it was used in the preparation of Russian leather, and imparted the well-known scent to it. In Laplandbread has been made from it. The sap, from the amount of sugar it contains, affords a kind of agreeable wine, which is produced by the tree being tapped during warm weather in the end of spring or beginning of summer, when the sap runs most copiously.
The dwarf birch, Betula nana, a low shrub, two or three feet high at most, is a native of all the most northerly regions. Betula lenta, the cherry-birch of America, and the black birch
(Betula nigra) of the same country, produce valuable timber, as do other American species. The largest of these is the yellow birch (Betula lutea or excelsa) which attains the height of 80 feet. It is named from its bark being of a rich yellow colour. The paper birch of America (Betula. papyracea) has a bark that may be readily divided into thin sheets almost like paper. From it the Indian bark canoes are made. Research Birch
Dwarf birch (Betula nana) is a small deciduous shrub, usually prostrate or ascending with stiff, spreading branches. The leaves are rounded, deeply toothed and dark green. The flowers are small male and female catkins. Research Dwarf Birch
Sir Henry Havelock was a British soldier. He was born in 1795 at Bishop-Wearmouth, near Sunderland and died in 1857 of dysentry. Having entered the army, he served with distinction in the Burmese war of 1824 to 1826. In 1829 he married a daughter of Marshman, the celebrated missionary, became a Baptist, and was noted during the remainder of his life by his earnest religious zeal. He attained his captaincy in 1838, participated in the Afghan war, was present at the storming of Ghazni and the capture of Kabul, and in Sale's march to Jelalabad, and assisted in the defence of that city, and in the defeat of Mohammed Akbar in 1843.
He was made a Companion of the Bath, and brevet-major, took part in the Mahratta war, and distinguished himself in the Sikh war of 1845, being present at Mudki, Ferozeshah, and Sobraon. In 1851 he was promoted to the adjutant-generalship of the queen's forces in India, and he commanded a division in the Persian war of 1856 to 1857. On the outbreak of the Indian mutiny he was despatched to Allahabad in order to support Sir H. Lawrence at Lucknow and Sir H. Wheeler at Cawnpore. On his march to Cawnpore he defeated the rebels at Fattihpur, Aong, Pandunadi, and Maharajpur. On arriving at Cawnpore he found that Nana Sahib had massacred the prisoners. Pursuing his march to Lucknow, he defeated the rebels at Bithoor, and finally, with the aid of Outram, won the battle of Alumbagh. Having captured Lucknow, Henry Havelock and Outram were shut up there until relieved by Sir Colin Campbell on the 17th of November 1857. He died of dysentery at Dilkusha on the 24th. He was raised to the rank of major-general, made a K.C.B., and (before his death was known) created a baronet. Research Henry Havelock
Hilda Braid was an English actress. She was born in 1929 at Northfleet, Kent and died in 2007 of dementia. Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, she none-the-less frequently played comedy, including the character 'Mum' in the 1970's television series 'Citizen Smith' and later 'Nana Moon' in the BBC soap-opera 'Eastenders'. Research Hilda Braid
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Research Cawnpore Mutiny
