The Sun.
London, England, 1862-02-15 00:00:00

THE INDIAN ARMY.

Colonel SYK ES asked why 1,824 recruits, for the Bengal
Presidency alone, were sent out at the end of last year, the
fixed establishment of European troops of all arms for India,
namely 71,000 men, being at he time exceeded by 9,770 men;
and why the Queen's Bays, ordered home from India, were
stopped at Cawnpore on their mai oh to embark for England.
If 100,600 native troops were reduced, the saving would be
only a million, but if 30,600 European troops were sent out,
they would cost £3,300,000. While this dead weight was
kept upon the finances of India, the efforts of Mr. Laing
would be utterly futile.
Sir C. WOOD was very glad that the hon. and gallant
gentleman had asked him this question, because it enabled
him to refuto the charge which had been made against the
home Government of having forced a greater number of
troops upon India than were required for the safety and
protection of her Majesty's Eastern dominions. He would
not go into the question of what the military force of the
Indian Government ought to be ; but he would remind the
gallant member that an overgrown native army had com-
pelled a far greater expenditure than would represent the
capitalised £lO per head, which he calculated was
the cost of a native soldier. the Indian Government,
with the entire concurrence of every man of sense both on
the spot and at home, bad determined to replace the Sepoy
forces by a suitable number of Europeans, and thus to render
the country as safe as human contrivance could render it
against a recurrence of so great a calamity as the Sepoy
revolt. The charge against the home Government was that
they had thrown upon the finances of India a greater num-
ber of Queen's troops than ought to have been; and he
would content himself with replying that that charge was
wholly unfounded. The number of European soldiers which
the different Indian Governments estimated in the autumn
of 1860 would be required, was 92,000 ; but the home
Government considered that an excessive calculation,
and he (Sir Charles Wood) took upon himself mate-
rially to reduce it. The military members of the
Indian Council had reported about the same time that, in
their opinion, the establishment ought to be only 80,000
men. Of course he could not pretend to sot his own autho-
rity in opposition to that of gentlemen so much better ac-
quainted with the subject than he could be, but he did
venture privately to suggest to Lord Canning that the
number might be reduced to 73,000 men. In the spring of
1861 the home Government had to consider what recruits
should be sent out; for the house were no doubt aware
that they were only sent once a year, in June or July, so
that they might arrive at the commencement of the cold
season ; the home Government had taken upon themselves
to reduce the establishments of the Queen's regiments from
1,000 to 850 men, and also to reduce the depots to the ex-
tent of nearly one, half. Now, the casualties of Indian
regiments, including the men whose time had expired,
were on the average 10 per cent. per annum, and therefore
the home Government determined that where the actual
strength of a regiment did not exceed 15 per cent. of the
reduced establishment, they would not forward any re-
cruits on the next time for sending them. There were no
doubt some regiments where the excess of strength was
above the 15 per cent., but the Government thought it
would be better to let the number be gradually reduced by
casualties, than to put the Indian exchequer to the expense
of discharging the surplus men and sending them home.
After the number of recruits had been sent out in the
spring of 1861, the Indian Government forwarded a new
estimate, which was considerably below that which they
had previously sent home, and on which the number of
the recruits had been calculated in 1861. This new esti-
mate was for 73,577 men, or within 500 or so of the
number which he (Sir C. Wood) had suggested nearly a
year before. The yearly casualties, he had said, were
equal to 10 per cent., which, in 73,500 men, would be
7,300; and, therefore, to maintain an average strength the
least number that ought to have been sent out last spring
was 3,650; instead of which, howeNer, the Government had
only despatched 2,804, or 800 fewer than the minimum
number. (Hear.) The number of European soldiers on
the Ist of November was 73,286; and according to a subse-
quent report it was 74,015. He could not say whether that
included all the recruits, for 1,000 artillerymen had been
sent out after the rest, and might possibly not have arrived;
but even allowing for them, the number was 2,000 below
the minimum required to keep up an average strength on
the reduced establishment. The house would, therefore,
see how groundless was the assertion that the Indian army
had been exceeded by 9,000 men. (Hear.) Even assuming,
with the gallant colonel, that the Indian establishment was
only 71,000 men—though he really did not know how the
hon. member had arrived at it, the number of the recruits
who had been sent out was 750 fewer than it ought to have
been ; for five per cent. on 71,000 men would be 3,550, and
the home Government had only sent out 2,800. (Hear.)
He now came to the hon. and gallant gentleman's next
question, why the home Government had stopped a Queen's
regiment which the Indian Government had ordered to
return to England ? In 1858 the Indian Government
calculated what European force would be required in
their opinion to garrison the country, and in 1860 a
despatch came home, in which, after two years' delibera-
tion, they adhered to the estimate they had previously
formed. The force of cavalry which they thought
Bengal alone ought to have was ten local regiments and
three Queen's, with an aggregate strength of 6,600 men.
The home government, however, thought that eight regi-
ments would be sufficient, and orders were given (he re-
membered that Lord Clyde was rather alarmed at the re-
duction) that the force should consist of only 5,000, to be
afterwards brought down by the reduced establishments to
4,000. At that time there were in Bengal fivo local regi-
ments, which were directed to be made into th. ee. There
were also two regiments in Madras, and one in Bombay.
The five Bengal regiments, however, proved to be notsuffi-
cient to make into three, and one was ordered from Bombay,
so that there would have been eight regiments in Bengal,
two in Madras, and one in Bombay. The Bengal govern-
ment, however, said they would not have the regiment from
Bombay, and its establishment was thus reduced to seven
regiments. The Indian government authorised the forma-
tion of three regiments out of the local forces, and as soon
as they got them they said they would keep them and send
home one of the old English regiments. But the English
Government declined to sanction that proposal. The autho-
rities in India had power to make the reduction, and if they
declined to do so, it was not for want of having sufficient
authority. At any rate the home Government wore not
responsible fur any extra charges occasioned by the conduct
of the government in India.

NATIONAL EDUCATION SYSTEM IN IRELAND.
Mr. HENNESSY called attention to the circumstance
of an advertisement having been issued by the Commis-
sioners of Nation Education in Ireland, asking for candi-
dates fur a sub-inspectorship of schools, and stating that
only Roman Catholics need apply ; and protested against
it as an attempt to induce Roman Catholics to become
parties to the national system.
Sir It. PEEL said that it had bean the practice in the
selection of inspectors that Protestants and Roman Catho-
lics were chosen alternately. He wag not aware of the par •
titular circumstances of this case.