The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1880-04-25

ment of his superiors, as in all other armies.
BY the Warrant of 1851, as since revised,
seven English officers are appointed for the
higher or more responsible posts in each
regiment, the subordinate duties connected
with troops and companies bang assigned to
the native officers. The fault Of the system
is that il does not keep the officers long
enough with the same regiments, or else
their commands cannot be arranged COM
mensurate to their rank. This could bc
remedied by grouping the native corps-by
Notwithstanding regimentso of three or
four battalions each, which would insure
sufficiently uniform promotion, while pro-
viding cadres from which battalions on
active service could be easily and speedily
replenished.
| A singular lack of decision upon point
of vital importance was exhibited in the re-
organization of the native armies after the
Mutiny of 1857. There were three systems
of recruiting proposed "O that each
"native regiment should be composed Of men
"of some distinct nationality, religion, or
| Tdtts WIN u lutuli6tu u'Hpt i-D Nhtt hth
"of different nationaities or religion should
abe classed in separate companies of a regi-
"mcnt, called the Glass Company system !;
"and (3) that every regiment should recruit
"without reference to nationality, caste,
"race, or religion, the men being ndiscrimi-
"nately mixed up in the ranks" As Sir
John Adye says: Each plan involving a
"decded policy, and the government, APP
"parently perpexed by the difficulty of the
"luestion, and by the variety of opinions,
very impartially adopted all three"
| strong argument in favor of trusting the
natives with command is found in the history
of what were called Irregular regiments,
which had only three English officers attached
to them, and which greatly distinguished
themselves in the mutiny, becoming more
celebrated than the ordinary battalions. Il
! gave the Viceroy regiments like the &
Goorkhas, the Guide Corps, and the 1st, I'd
and 4th Punjab Infantry, that fought a
, Delhi and Lucknow till more than half the
numbers were killed or wounded. Undonbt
edly Gen. Adye is right in holding that tn
e greatest safeguard for British rule in Indi
would be to open careers to the natives
especially to the military and landed aristo
cracy of the country. He says:
We cannot rule successfully over millions of huma
beings in India unless recognize the necessity nu
only of giving peace, security, and Justice to I'll
Masses hut high place and responsible positions I
, | the great, the talented, and the deserving.
This seems simple enough to Americans
Il But if the honors and emoluments of militar
y y and civil employment are opened to nativ
Indians, what becomes of the crowds of wei
% educated and well-born Englishmen who loo
- to this Indian Empire for career 2 There ha
no doubt been multiplication of officers, an
rs therefore of salaries and perquisites, beyon
the need of the country, which would nj
g have been possible if the cost had to CON
out of the British taxpayer. And when W
T. look at the vast structure of family income
Id and prospects which rests upon the employ
ment Of Englishmen in the Indian service
~ we may well doubt whether either argumer
of or authority will be strong enough to max
head against such powerful conglomerate
'e interest.