’All these facts and opinions seem to me to establish incontrovertibly that a large proportion of European troops is necessary for our security under all circumstances of peace and war. . . .

’I believe the sepoys have never been so good as they were in the earliest part of our career; none superior to those under De Boigne. . .  I fearlessly pronounce the Indian army to be the least efficient and most expensive in the world.’

The events of 1857-9 proved the truth of Lord William Bentinck’s wise words.  The native army is no longer inefficient as a whole, though certain sections of it may still be so, but the less that is said about the supposed affection of mercenary troops for a foreign government, the better.

30.  Of course, all the military forces, British and Indian, are now alike the King’s.  Each service has its own rules and regulations.

31.  ’General Baird had started from Bombay in the end of December 1800, but only arrived at Kossir, on the coast of Upper Egypt, on the 8th of June.  In nine days, with a force of 6,400 British and native troops, he traversed 140 miles of desert to the Nile, and reached Cairo on 10th August with hardly any loss.  The united force then marched down on Alexandria, and on 31st August Menou capitulated, and the whole French army evacuated Egypt.’ (Balfour, Cyclopaedia, 3rd ed., s.v.  ‘Egypt.’) The Indian native army again did brilliant service in the Egyptian campaign of 1882.

32.  Great progress has been made in the task of lightening the miseries of European soldiers in India by the provision of innocent amusements.  Lord Roberts, during his long tenure of the office of Commander-in-Chief, pre-eminently showed himself to be the soldier’s friend.

33.  Their commanding officers say, as Pharaoh said to the Israelites, ’Let there be more work laid upon them, that they may labour therein, and not enter into vain discourses.’  Life to such men becomes intolerable; and they either destroy themselves, or commit murder, that they may be taken to a distant court for trial. [W.  H. S.] The quotation is from Exodus v. 9.  The Authorized Version is, ’Let there be more work laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.’

34.  See Livy, lib. ii, cap. 59.  The infantry under Fabius had refused to conquer, that their general, whom they hated, might not triumph; but the whole army under Claudius, whom they had more cause to detest, not only refused to conquer, but determined to be conquered, that he might be involved in their disgrace.  All the abilities of Lucullus, one of the ablest generals Rome ever had, were rendered almost useless by his disregard to the feelings of his soldiers.  He could not perceive that the civil wars under Marius and Sylla had rendered a different treatment of Roman soldiers necessary to success in war.  Pompey, his successor, a man of inferior military genius, succeeded much better because he had the sagacity to see that he now required not only the confidence but the affections of his soldiers.  Caesar to abilities even greater than those of Lucullus united the conciliatory spirit of Pompey [W.  H. S.]