CHAPTER XXXVII.

THE ARMY OF INDIA.

Its Strength-Different Classes of Troops-English and Native Officers-Enlistment purely Voluntary-Pay-Madras Army-Bombay Army-Low-Caste Men-An Army of Gentlemen-Truckling to Caste--Tame Tigers-Salaries of Officers-StaffService.

THE army of India comprises troops of three classes: First, the Queen's army, consisting of royal regiments stationed in India, and paid, while there, by the Honourable Company. Secondly, the Company's European troops, comprising three regiments of infantry, and the European artillery. The whole European force probably never exceeded 30,000 men. Thirdly, the native soldiers, or sepoys, who were divided into three armies, belonging respectively to the three Presidencies, and having independent, though similar organizations. There is a commander-in-chief over the army of each Presidency; but the supreme command of the whole military force in India is vested in the commander-in-chief of the Bengal army, who must always be a general in the Queen's service. The entire strength of the native armies may be reckoned at 270,000, two-thirds of which belonged to the Presidency of Bengal. The aggregate number of troops in India, was, therefore, before the recent great mutiny, probably about 300,000.

The European troops were under English officers exclusively; but the sepoy forces were commanded partly by English officers, partly by natives. The colonel, lieutenant colonel, major, six captains, ten lieutenants, and five ensigns, compose the full complement of European officers for each sepoy regiment. The native commissioned officers are, ten soobahdárs, and ten jemadárs, who rank with captains and lieuten

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ants respectively. All the non-commissioned officers are, of course, natives. Their titles are havildár and naik, answering to sergeant and corporal.

The army is recruited entirely by voluntary enlistment, and the advantages which it presents are so great that there has never been any necessity for establishing recruiting stations, or using any of the means found necessary, in England and this country, to encourage enlistment.

The pay of the sepoys varies from 7 to 9 rupees a month. Against this must be set off the cost of the uniform, and their food, both of which are furnished by government at fixed rates. These expenses amount on the average to about four rupees a month, so that most of the soldiers save thirty-six rupees a year, which they remit to their families through the hands of government. After fifteen years of service the sepoys retire with pensions of from four rupees upwards. The pay of the native officers is the naik 12 rupees; the havildár 14 rupees; the jemadár, 40 rupees; the soobahdár, 60 rupees per month. The eagerness which the natives show to enter the Company's service is easily understood when we reflect that the lowest pay of a sepoy is nearly double what the same man could make at other occupations, and that, in the army, he is put beyond the reach of bad seasons, want of work, or any of the other eventualities which diminish or render uncertain the small wages of three or four rupees a month which is all that most kinds of labour can earn in India.

The Madras army is recruited among the inhabitants of that Presidency, and admits men of all castes, as does also the Bombay army. The soldiers for the latter, were, however, partly obtained in Oude, by means of recruiting agents. These low-caste men make much the best soldiers. Their caste does not prevent their serving beyond the seas; they can eat, if necessary, the food left cold from the day before; and they will not refuse any reasonable task. The only drawback is their appearance and height, which are not equal to those of the high-caste Rajpoots, who formed the Bengal army.

The army of Bengal was, in appearance, by far the best of the three superior in stature, and equal in drill to most of

the European services. The average height of the men is said to have been two inches greater than that of the British army ten years ago. They were exclusively composed of men of high caste, and many of the soldiers in each regiment were related to each other, as it was customary for the sepoys, when they visited their homes on leave, to bring back with them some of their brothers or cousins as recruits. The sepoys of the Bengal army always looked with the greatest disdain upon those of the two other Presidencies; and this pride was unfortunately encouraged by their officers and the government, who yielded to their wishes in forbidding the enlistment of low-caste men. The compliance with one demand occasioned others. They could not wear certain articles of clothing: the government changed the regulation uniform. They were of too noble birth to be flogged: flogging was abolished, and with it discipline gradually disappeared. They would not eat food prepared by others, or which remained from their yesterday's meal: ample time was allowed them each day to cook, and no officer could go near to inspect them during that operation. Their caste would be lost if they went on board ship: and after almost exciting a mutiny, the government yielded to this demand also, and sent to China and Burmah sepoys of the Madras army, at greatly increased expense, for those purposes. The cavalry were too fine gentlemen to groom their own horses, and the infantry thought it beneath them to pitch their own tents: the government went so far as to provide them with servants for these purposes. Lastly, they discovered that manual labour was degrading; and white soldiers were actually made to do their work in the trenches under the deadly rays of an Indian sun. The result of all this was, that while in the armies of the smaller Presidencies discipline was thoroughly kept up, in the Bengal army there was, during late years, the greatest want of it. The only substantial punishment which the officers could inflict, was dismissal from the service. The men became every day more arrogant and assuming; the officers, more compliant and yielding;* until,

* An extraordinary instance of truckling to caste has lately occurred. Du

having had their pride, self-conceit, and opinion of their own importance raised to the highest point by the acts of the government, they became fit tools for the crafty agitators who worked upon their superstitious prejudices to bring about the recent terrible mutiny.

The English Government have now learned what they will never forget, that an Oriental is a very useful animal so long as you keep a tight rein, and let him see that you are the master; but that they are incapable of appreciating generosity or indulgence-qualities which they consider symptoms of weakness, and repay by ingratitude and treachery. In many towns of India, leopards may be seen, tied to bed-posts, in the open streets. They are perfectly harmless, tame, and docile, being kept so by the fear of a certain iron rod. I used often to think that each of these animals was a parable.

Promotion in the Indian army, whether among the native or European officers, is entirely by seniority. The former, (the native officers,) are no better than the men whom they command. They are mostly ignorant of reading and writing, without other education, and do not seem to be at all socially raised, in the estimation of the sepoys, by possessing a commission. Although, by the regulations of the army, they rank with the English captains and lieutenants, their duties are practically those of non-commissioned officers, and their only superiority over the common sepoys consists in their greater

ring the mutiny, the 70th regiment, stationed at Barrackpoor, were only kept from open revolt by the presence of British troops. At length, they condescended to proceed to China, in compliance with the request of government. Before they went on board ship, a commission of European officials was deputed to inspect the ship personally, and report whether the water-tanks and other arrangements were in accordance with the rules and usages of caste. On the way to Singapore, the scoundrels became noisy and impudent, and at length carried their insolence so far, that they requested, in the most offensive terms, that the dinner should not be carried aft for the officers, as the steam or gravy from the dishes might touch them, and so take away their caste. The commander of the transport, a bluff English sailor, expected to see such insolence at once put down with a strong hand. The officers of the regiment, however, temporized with their men, and soothed them; and actually asked the captain if the difficulty could not be remedied.

age, and their higher pay. The salaries of the European officers, which range from 200 rupees per month for the ensign, to 1,000 rupees for the colonel, are not found to be more than sufficient for the comfortable support of the officer, especially if he is married-so great are the necessary expenses of living in India; and it is rare to find an officer who lives upon his salary, and who has not involved himself more or less deeply in debt.

On account of the great difficulty, which has already been dwelt upon, of obtaining honest and able servants in the executive departments of government, the Company have been compelled to increase their administrative force at the expense of the army, by appointing officers to various civil employs. It is calculated that one quarter of the officers of the Bengal army were thus removed from their regiments. All these staff employs conferred a very considerable augmentation of pay, and did not remove the appointee from the line of promotion in his regiment, so that they became prizes eagerly sought after by the officers. Every "griffin" (cadet) on joining his regiment, set himself down to the task of acquiring the requisite amount of Persian and Hindoostanee, or whatever was required to pass the staff examination; and in this way the system did a great deal to improve the general character of the officers, by inducing them to spend their leisure hours in studying Persian and engineering, instead of idling away the day at billiards or whist. The system of conferring staff employs upon military men had the great disadvantage of removing the older officers from the regiment, and leaving the soldiers under the care of the younger and less experienced men. But on the whole, it probably did more good than harm, even in the regiments; and when considered with reference to the whole public service, it was perhaps the only expedient that could be adopted to remedy the great want of suitable administrative officials.