Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-04-05

rolls on the 31st of last December was
2O3, ia. This includes several thousand
non-fighting men, signal corps, number
of officers engaged in semi-civil or semi
military duties those on staff detail and
those on leave of absence. The following
is an exact statement:
BRITISH.
Cavalry, three regiments. ......... 2,101
ARTILLERY. eighty seven batteries. 1d,4N
Infantry, forty-fve battalions. ...... AZ. 10!
Engineers one battalion. ........... 2O4 900
NATIVES
Cavalry, forty regiments. .......... A,e08
Artillery, fourteen batteries $50
aasnsgy lIS
Officers on staH duty, ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. GIT
Grand total. ......................... 2O3,ll4
This regular and permanent military force
is supplemented by native armies in the
various independent states, which are only
indirectly under the command of the COM
mander-in-chief and are not well organized,
except in one or two of the provinces. There
Is a reserve corps consisting or 22,2S5 men
who have served ~ the regular army and
are now upon what we call the retired list.
They may be called out at any time their
services are needed. There is also volun-
teer force numbering %, 800 men, including
cavalry, artillery, infantry and marines,
many Of them under the command of re-
tired officers Of the regular army; and the
employees Of several Of the great railroad
and drill frequently. There is also a mill
tary police under the control of the execu-
tive authorities Of the several provinces,
making altogether about 100000 men capa-
bic of being modified on short notice in
any emergency, about one-third of them
being Englishmen and two-thdrds natives.
Lesson Of the Great Mutiny.
In 1855. before the great mutiny the Brit
ish forces in India consisted of less than
Esiarn md rnnr hay ma
tives besides about 10000 contingents. as
| they were called. maintained by the rulers
| Of the native states and at their expense.
The greater part Of the artillery was man
ned by native soldiers under European Of
| ficers. Three-fourths of the native soldiers
participated In the mutiny. The Madras
forces in southern India and the Sikhs in
the Pun1ab were not only loyal, but rem
dered valuable services in suppressing the
revolt. On the reorganization Of the army,
| after the mutiny was suppressed 1t was de-
cided that there should never be more than
two natives to one European in the service.
that the artillery should be manned by
Europeans exclusively, and that all the ar
senals and supply stations should be in their
charge.
! Since the reorganization there has been
an average of 10000 British and 10000 ma
| tive troops in India. All the artillery has
been manned by Europeans. the British
| troops have been garrisoned at stations
where they can render the most prompt and
| efficient service, and all of the cantonments,
as the European camps are called, all the
fortreSSes and arsenalS, are connected with
l. each other and with Bombay and Calcutta
by railway. When the mutiny broke out in
1857 there were only about 400 miles of rail-
way in India, and 1t was matter of great
difficulty delay and expense to move troops
any distance. Today India has nearly d.
600 miles of railway, which has all been
planned and constructed as a part of the
national defense system. In 1857 1t took
IzAx.y t1raa 60, he fnr lief
party to reach Delhi from the seaboard.
Today ten times the force could be sent
here from any part of India within seventy
| two hours.
Caste Not Recognized.
I Another vital error demonstrated by the
| mutiny was the former plan of drawing SOL
! diers from a single caste. They were all
under the same influence; all had the same
| interests and were governed by the same
| prejudices, and could be easily united for
| the same purpose. Now caste is not recog-
nized in the army. Recruits are drawn
| from every tribe and every caste, and men
| Of different races, religion and provinces
are thrown together in the same company
and are not allowed to serve in the locality
| where they were enlisted. Enlistments are
| entirely voluntary. The natives are armed.
! equipped and clothed by the state, but pro-
/ vide their own food, for which they receive
| a proper allowance. This Is necessary in
| order tldC CNey Inlay regulate luciF own uAcS
| and obey the laws of their caste. There
are also what are called class company
regiments composed chiefly of men who
are serving second enlistments. That Is,
| men of the same race and caste are organ
| lied into separate companies. so that reg
iment may have two companies OF Skins,
| two companies of Brahmins, two companies
| of Rajputs, two companies OF Mohamme-
dams. two companies of Gurkhas and COM
| panies of other tribes or religious sects
| which neutralize each other and are in
| spired by active rivalry.
Race outbreaks and religious collisions
very seldom occur in India these days, but
] the hostility between the several sects and
| races is very sharp The Mohammedan still
! dreams of the day when his race shall re-
| cover control of the Indian empire and turn
| the Hindu temples into mosques. The
| Sikhs hate the Mohammedans as well as
/ the Hindus None of the sects Is without
| its pretudices.
The Most Efficient Soldiers
| The most efficient section of the native
| army is composed Uf the Sikhs. of whom
wrote you the other day; the Gurkhas, who
are enlisted in Nepaul, and the Pathans,
| who come from the hill tribes in the far
northwest. These are all vigorous hardy
races, fearless, enduring and fond of mill
| tary service. 1t would be dff1cult to find
in any country better soldiers than they
make. and their numerical strength in the
1
Guilty in case they were needed.
| The cities, towns and villages have reg
ularly organized police forces, consisting
entirely of natives and numbering about
| 100000. In the larger cities and towns the
| chief officers are European, and throughout
/ the entire country the preference in making
appointments to this force is given to men
| who have served in the regular army.
About 179,000 officers and mens have this
distinction, and make very efficient police
/ The supreme authority oYer Tie army in
India is vested by law in the vfceroy, and
| Is exercised through member of the coun-
/ ell of state, known as the secretary of mill
| tary affairs. and corresponds to our Secrc-
| tary of War. The active command is in
| the person of the comma nder- in-chief, who
| is also a member of the council of state, by
/ virtue of his Office The present COM
mander-in-chief is Lord Kitchener. the hero
of Khartoum and of the recent Boer war. He
/ has his headquarters at Old Fort William
In Calcutta where he has been laid up all
| winter with broken leg. He met with an
/ accident at Simla last summer and suf-
| fered a compound fracture of the bone.
| which gave him great deal OF trouble. 1t
has healed very slowly, and he is not yet
able to walk, but drives out daily and is