officers after that war, solicited permission to go and make their ‘salam’ to the tomb, and all went who were off duty.[39] The system which now keeps the greater part of our native infantry at small stations of single regiments in times of peace tends to preserve this good tone of feeling between officers and men, at the same time that it promotes the general welfare of the country by giving confidence everywhere to the peaceful and industrious classes.

I will not close this chapter without mentioning one thing which I have no doubt every Company’s officer in India will concur with me in thinking desirable to improve the good feeling of the native soldiery—­that is, an increase in the pay of the Jemadars.  They are commissioned officers, and seldom attain the rank in less than from twenty-five to thirty years;[40] and they have to provide themselves with clothes of the same costly description as those of the Subadar; to be as well mounted, and in all respects to keep the same respectability of appearance, while their pay is only twenty-four rupees and a half a month; that is, ten rupees a month only more than they had been receiving in the grade of Havildars, which is not sufficient to meet the additional expenses to which they become liable as commissioned officers.  Their means of remittance to their families are rather diminished than increased by promotion, and but few of them can hope ever to reach the next grade of Subadar.  Our Government, which has of late been so liberal to its native civil officers, will, I hope, soon take into consideration the claims of this class, who are universally admitted to be the worst paid class of native public officers in India.  Ten rupees a month addition to their pay would be of great importance; it would enable them to impart some of the advantages of promotion to their families, and improve the good feeling of the circles around them towards the Government they serve.[41]

Notes: 

1.  This chapter and the following one were printed as a separate tract at Calcutta in 1841 (see Bibliography).  That small volume included an Introduction and two statistical tables which the author did not reprint.  He has utilized extracts from the Introduction in various parts of the Rambles and Recollections.  I am not sure that the tract was ever published, though it was printed; for the author says in his Introduction:  ’They (scil. these two essays) may never be published; but I cannot deny myself the gratification of printing them.’

2.  This order is confined to the Indian Army.

3.  The punishment of working on the roads is long obsolete.

4.  The author spells this word ‘sipahee’.  I have thought it better to use throughout the now familiar corruption.

5.  The ordinary infantry pay was raised from seven to nine rupees in 1895.