DECLINING ATTACHMENT AND FIDELITY OF THE BENGAL ARMY.

SIR,

To the Editor of the Oriental Herald.

Calcutta, July, 1827. Ir is a fact, universally acknowledged throughout the Bengal army, that the attachment of the Native soldiers towards the service and their European officers, has of late years very much diminished, and that this diminution increases daily, to the great deterioration of this army.

The consequences which must naturally ensue in the course of time, should the Company's dominion in the East be seriously attacked, (and the time, I fear, is not far distant when it will be,) is worthy of consideration. It is my opinion, that, in such a crisis, the Bengal army, constituted and treated as it now is, will fail the Government. Late events in this country have too plainly manifested the little hold which Government and their European officers have upon the exertions of the Native soldiers; and it becomes the duty of every well-wisher to the service, to endeavour, if possible, to discover and point out the causes of the evil, as well as to suggest those remedies which may remove it.

Under this impression, I am led to give my opinion, founded on a close observation of between twenty and thirty years.

The causes of the diminution of attachment to the military service in the Natives are too numerous and minute to detail, but they may almost all be fairly traced to the grand error of Government,—a want of consideration and respect for the Bengal army, both Europeans and Natives; for, say what they will, this is, and must be, a Military Government. This error is not confined solely to the Government, but descends to the Commanders-in-Chief (ever since Lord Lake's time) and King's General officers on the staff of this army; it is also seen in the conduct of commanding officers of Native corps, whose interest in, and connection with them, is materially lessened by the little permanency of their commands, and curtailment of authority both to reward and punish those under them. Commanding officers of regiments, feeling themselves treated with little consideration and respect, in the partiality shown to those of his Majesty, retort the same line of conduct upon those under their command, and, trusting to their authority being supported against their inferiors, act sometimes with glaring partiality towards their officers and men, alienating the respect and attachment of both; and thus the system descends through all ranks. The erroneous doctrine held by many, that a commanding officer's authority is not to be called in question by those under his command, though exerted in the cause of partiality, because it would create insubordination, is highly injurious. A commanding officer's Oriental Herald, Vol. 16.

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conduct ought to be guided by that rule of impartiality which can leave no room for its being called in question, and subordination from respect will be best maintained by such a line of conduct; a soldier's mouth may be shut by penalties, but his thoughts cannot be controlled; and the soldier of this army, when reduced to a mere passive machine, is little fit for the service that is required of him; his attachment and respect is necessary to make him efficient in the great day of need to this Government, which must sooner or later 'arrive.

Much has been said and written, drawing an invidious comparison between the Native and European troops; but I would ask, are they on fair and equal terms? Officer the Native regiments as fully as those of his Majesty, and treat them with the same respect and consideration, and then see what they will be! It may be judged of from what they have performed under all the disadvantages of ill treatment, and a shameful paucity of European officers.

Duty alone, in the imperfection of human nature, is not a sufficient stimulus to action; interest ought to be coupled with it, when it can be done without offering too great a temptation to forget the former, in pursuit of the latter object; this refers to the regimental bazars, now a mere shadow without substance.

It cannot be disputed but that regimental bazars were much more efficient when commanding officers had an interest in their being well supplied, by the personal benefits accruing from them, than they are under the present system; the evil to the soldier in the tax formerly levied is by no means decreased, but transferred only from the hands of the commanding officer to a chowdry; nay, I may venture to assert, without fear of contradiction, that the evil is rather increased than diminished, for no one acquainted with the Natives of this country will doubt, that where a European could make 100 rupees a month, a Native would make double that amount, and without the same efficiency of supply.

I may here point out one considerable cause of the difficulty of filling our ranks with good and efficient men it is the diminution of the pay of the Native soldier. When I say the diminution of the pay, I am not to be understood as asserting that such in amount is lessened, but it is lessened in value by the vast increase in price (at least from 50 to 150 per cent.) of every necessary article of his consumption. With all other classes of the community in this, as well as every other country, the price of labour has increased with the price of the necessary articles of subsistence; with the Bengal soldier it remains the same.

The causes of the diminution of attachment and respect in tire Native soldiers to their European officers are many; but the main source of this evil also, has its rise in the little consideration and respect in which the European officers are apparently held by Government; this has the baneful effect of destroying their zeal and

exertion in upholding the service to their men, and the interest they should show in their welfare, the abuse of which naturally creates a corresponding diminution of attachment and respect in them.

This want of consideration and respect by Government is too plainly manifested in numerous ways, and sensibly felt by them, though I shall not here point them out, with the exception of one or two. I believe it will not be denied, that there is a strong necessity, in an army constituted as this is, and under a Military Government such as this is, held by a name, to increase and uphold the respect and veneration for the European character, and particularly in the eyes of our soldiery for their European officers; for call this Government what name you will, it is, and ever must be, to all intents and purposes, a Military Government. What then must be the effect both upon Europeans and Natives of such a measure as the institution of the Military Courts of Request, but to degrade European officers in the eyes of the Natives, by being brought before them upon every trifling complaint, whether well or ill founded?-it was a measure highly prejudicial to sound policy. Sufficient authority is, or ought to be, vested in a commanding officer of a regiment to settle such claims as are brought before him; but the trouble is now taken off his hands. Surely it was a trouble properly appertaining to his situation, and he has always officers under him to have recourse to in cases of difficulty.

What, again, I would ask, must be the effect of such an instance of want of consideration towards their European officers as we have lately witnessed, when all medical assistance was taken from a detachment of 30 or 40 cadets, proceeding up the country, under the charge of an experienced and valuable officer: and they were left to proceed, even without a supply of medicine. This valuable officer (a better was not in the service) lost his life for want of medical assistance. This officer told me, with tears in his eyes, that it was shameful and cruel to see so many fine lads diseased in the state they were, without any kind of medical aid. It must be pretty well known to Government, that young men, just entered into this country, are more liable to disease, from imprudence, and the effects of climate, than those of more mature age and greater experience, and consequently require more medical assistance; but these young officers were not treated even with the consideration the same number of private European soldiers would have been; I doubt much if any general officer on the Staff would have ventured to have taken away all medical aid from such a detachment of privates, proceeding as these officers were. It is no argument to say, that Government were ignorant of the transaction: they ought not to have been ignorant of it; it could not have been done without being reported to the Commander-in-Chief, whose duty it should be to attend to the welfare of every part of the army intrusted to his charge; and when such palpable want of consideration and common humanity occur in inferiors, if their conduct is not noticed by Government with the

censure it merits, the Government itself becomes a party in the commission of the fault, and is justly open to the deep condemnation such conduct calls for.

It is not, under such an arbitrary Government as this, to be expected that every or any inferior officer will bring to its notice the sins of omission, or commission, of those high in authority. Almost certain ruin to themselves would be the consequence; such, at least, is the universal impression on our minds in this service. It cannot, or ought not, justly to be said, that the Medical Establishment is not sufficient for the duties required of it. If it is, why is it not increased? But the fact is not so; for we see many civil stations with a medical man, even where there are but two or three civilians; and at some of these, where there are troops and a medical man in charge of them, who could easily attend the civilians also, and even the jail, where there is one.

I will now proceed to mention another of the impolitic measures of our masters, and one which tends to bring the European officers into disesteem with the Native soldiers. It is the scarcity of European officers with Native regiments, thereby causing three-fourths of them to be mere boys, who ought to be at school. They are admitted into the service, or rather allowed to join regiments, and have charge of companies, much too young; many at 15 and 16, with the manners, appearance, and pursuits, of 12 or 13, mere children. Is it to be supposed that old men, such as our companies consist of, can respect and look up to such childish things as their guardians and leaders? Or is it to be supposed that children, thus prematurely let loose from school, will pay attention to the grave study of language and military duty, the customs, prejudices, and leading features of the Native character, or that they can duly appreciate them? No their object naturally is amusement, and all which trenches upon this desire is considered an irksome task, which they will never learn, unless forced to it. They either ought not to be admitted into the service under 17 or 18, or they ought to be kept in depôts, (not in or near Calcutta,) in classes, and their final admission into the service depend upon their scale of qualifications in the language, customs, &c., of the country.

Another impolitic measure is the system of the Commissariat and executive department of public works, wherein every European officer is under such suspicion, that he is obliged to take an oath to the expenditure of every rupee which passes through his hands whilst the Native sirçar, or babboo, under him, who, in fact, has the expenditure of the money, is exempted from this; plainly implying, that more trust is reposed in his honesty that in that of commissioned officers. These things are seen, felt, and commented on by the Natives; and the unavoidable conclusion they draw from them is, that the European officers are no longer worthy of confidence.

The general feeling of this army is, that, let your cause be ever

Declining Attachment of the Bengal Army.

117 so just, you never can obtain redress against the arbitrary authority of the local Government, however unjustly exercised. Such, without fear of contradiction, I ́aver to be the almost universal feeling; I believe I might say the universal feeling, but that I am an exception (the only one I know of) to it; but the time, trouble, and risk, attending the prosecution of any appeal against Government, is such as to deter most men from persevering in the attempt. Ask the Bengal army if such is not the fact; and then ask common sense if such a feeling could so have pervaded it, without strong grounds for its predomination?

Another cause of just dissatisfaction and complaint is, the regulation (I believe) of 1824, of the Court of Directors, (in my opinion erroneously interpreted by the local Government,) confining the allowances of companies to officers actually present with the headquarters of their regiments. A more unjust and impolitic measure never could have been thought of. By its operation, the captains and senior subalterns, who alone are eligible for detached duties, see their allowances sacrificed in favour of those who, from their standing in the service, or want of qualification, are incompetent to perform them, and by this incompetency enjoying the emoluments of the senior's absence. This measure is not only unjust in itself, but has a direct tendency to deter the juniors from qualifying themselves, either by a study of the language, or knowledge of their military duties, for the more important ones of their profession; for, accordingly as they rise in qualification, their allowances are curtailed.

Another cause of discontent is, the erroneous idea with which young men enter this service. It was, some 35 or 40 years ago, a good service, and the delusion still exists in England; consequently young men come out with sanguine expectations, not only of speedy promotion, but of being able to live upon their allowances in a comfortable and even luxurious manner; but they have not been above 12 months in the country ere they find the fallacy of these expectations; they find they can scarcely exist as gentlemen-upon their allowances, and that the chances are about six to one against their reaching the rank of field-officers; or, if they do hope to reach it, it must be so late in life as to make it as a matter of indifference. Thus they plod on, without exertion or interest in their profession. I know also, that with many in England, the pension is wofully misunderstood. Parents fancy, and inculcate the idea, that if their children are so unfortunate as to reach only the rank of captain, after 25 years' service, they are entitled to retire upon the handsome pension of their pay, which they erroneously consider between 600l. and 7001. per annum, instead of 180l.

When the present allowances of the Bengal army were fixed, Futtyghur was a frontier station; and the principal part of the army was confined almost to the banks of the Ganges, with the advantages of water-carriage, and every necessary article of consumption 100 per