Litchfield enquirer., 1857-04-09
Female Soldiers.


 the kings guard, composed of women. This battalion consists of 400 women, chosen among the handsomest and most robust girls in the country. They receive excellent pay, and their discipline is perfect. They are admitted to serve at the age of l3, and are placed in the army of reserve at p. From that period they no longer serve about the kings person, but are employed to guard the royal palaces and crown lands On entering the army, they make a VOW of chastity, from which there is no exemption unless any of them should at- tract the kings attention and be admitted among his legitimate wives The kings choice seldom falls on the most beautiful, but on the most skilled in military exercises. The hope of such reward animatcs them with extraordi- ! nary zeal for military instructions, aud Europe ans are astonished at the martial appearance of that battalion, as we'll as its skill ill naneu- vering and it's excellent discipline.
 Tine costume these women wear is very rich Their full dress is composed of white woolen robe, embroidered with gold The cloth is cx- tremrly fine, and dcscends as far as the knee it is covered with a light coat of mail and d guilt curass. The arms are free, and the head Is covered with gilt casque. When wearing this dress on state occasions, their only weapon is lance, which they handle with wonderful deXtcrity. With their undress they are armed with muSket. The battalion is composed of four conn anics, and each con,pany of 100 wo men, commanded by cal tain of their sex Should the captain die the company is drilled for three days by the king, who appoints the most competent to succeed to the command The battalion has been commanded for the last five years by woman, who saved the kings life at tiger hunt, by her courage and skill. She possesses great influence at court, and is much respected Ly those under her command. She has the same establishment as member of the royal family, and ten ele- plants are placed at her service. The king never undertakes any expedition without being accompanied by his female guard nor does he ever lunt or even ride out without an escort of the same guard, who are devotedIy attach ed to his person. Each individual Of the bat talion has five negrcsses attached to her ser vice and having thus 10 domestic occupation, she can devote herself exclusively to the du- ties of her profession. There is a parade ground near the city, where one company is stationed for two days every week to exercise themselves with the lance, the pistol, the mus ket and the rifle. The king attends once moAt! at those exercises, accompanied by his brother, who shares in some degree the sove- rcyn power, and distributes prizes to those most deserving. These rewards consist of bracelets or other valuable jeweIry, to which the girls and their families attach great i'm portauce Those so honorcd fill the offices of sergeant and corporal.
 Punishment is very rare in this corps, and when it is inflicted it consists of suspension from service for d period HCt exceeding three months. But ducls are much more frequent They must be sanctioned, however, by the fe- male captain, and be fought with swords ill presence of the entire company. When the death of one of tIe parties ensues, the de ctased receives a magnificent funeral, and the high pr.cst pronoun.Ns pancgyric declaring that the deceased by her valor; has merited eternal rest ill tile abode of the blessed: The survivor receives the con sratuatious of Her companions but as measure of discipline, she is sentenced to pass two months away from her company in fasting aud prayer: The military organization of this battalion is so perfect that the entire army endeayors to imi- tte it,
 From very interesting work entitled The Private Life of an Eastern kny," being an account of customs and manners in the court of Lucknow, the capital of the late kingdom of Dude, in Hindostan, which kingdom has been so recently anncxed' by the English crown, we extract the following account of
 THE KiSG's BoDY-GUARD.
 Of the living curios;ties of the palace there were none the account of which will appear much more comical or strange to Flu ropean ears than the female sepoys 1 had seen these men-like women pacing up and down before the various entrances to the female apartments for many days before l was inform ed of their real character. l regarded them siml as a diminutye race of soldiers, with we'll wadded coats There was nothing but this fulness of the chest to distinguish many of them from the other scpoys ;: and one is so accustomed to see soldiers ill England with coats stuffed so as to make their wearers re- semblc pouter pigeons, that took little heed of the circumstance;
 These women retained their long hair, which they tied up in knot upon the top of the head, and there it was concealed by the usual shako They bore all the accouterments of sepoys in India-a musket and bayonet, cross belts and cart. dse bex.s, jackets a:d white duck combinations, which might be seen any where in Bengal Intended solely for duty ill the palace as guardians of the karcm, they wefe paradcd only in the court-yards, where 1 have seen them going through their exercise just like other sepoys. They were drilled by one of the native officers of the kings army, and appeared quite familiar with marching and wheeling, presenting, loading and firing muskets, with the fixing and unfSing of bayon- ets--in fact with all the detail of the ordinary barrack yard. Whether they could have gone through the same maneuvers ill the field, with thousands of mustached sepoys around them, l cannot tell probably not. They had thelr