No recruit should henceforward be taken except on condition of general service; and by-and-by the option may be given to all sipahees, of a certain standing or period of service, to put their names down for general service, or retire.  This could not, of course, be done at present.  No commanding officer can say, at present, what his regiment will do if called upon to aid the Government in any way not specified in their bond.  They have too commonly favourites, who persuade them, for their own selfish purposes, that their regiments will do anything to meet their wishes, at the very time that these regiments are watching for an occasion to disgrace these favourites by refusal.  I have known many occasions of this.  None but general service corps or volunteers should be sent to Burmah from Bengal during this campaign, or we shall hazard a disaster.  There are, I believe, several that your Lordship has not yet called upon.  They should be at hand as soon as possible, and their present places supplied by others.  In the mean time, corps of Punjaubies and Hillmen should be raised for general service.  Not only can no commanding officer say what his corps will do under circumstances in which their religion or prejudices may afford a pretext for disobedience, but no officers can say how far their regiments sympathise with the recusant:  or discontented, corps, and are prepared to join them.

In case it should ever be proposed to make all corps general service corps, in the way I mention, a donation would, of course, be offered to all who declined of a month’s pay for every year of past service, or of something of that kind.  A maximum might be fixed of four, five, or six months.  It would not cost much, for but few would go.  I must pray your Lordship to excuse the liberty I take in obtruding my notions on this subject, but it really is one of vital importance in the present state of affairs in India, as well as in Europe.

With great respect, I remain, &c.,
(Signed) W. H. SLEEMAN.

To the Moat Noble
The Marquis of Dalhousie, K.T. 
Governor-General of India,
Calcutta.

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Memorandum.

In the year 1832 or 1833 the want of bamboos of large size, for yokes for artillery bullocks, was much felt at Saugor and the stations of that division; and the commissariat officer was authorised to form a bamboo grove, to be watered by the commissariat cattle, in order to supply the deficiency for the future.  Forty beegas, or about twenty acres of land, were assigned for the purpose, and Government went to the expense of forming twelve pucka-wells, as the bamboos were planted upon the black cotton-soil of Central India, in which kutcha-wells do not stand.  The first outlay was, therefore, greater than usual, being three thousand rupees.  The establishment kept up consisted of one gardener, at five rupees a month, and two assistants at three rupees each.  The bamboos were watered by the artillery bullocks and commissariat servants.