296 PROCEEDINGS OF THE COTTESWOLD CLUB 



can be seen anywhere ; a native Bazaar and a tennis 

 ground lying below in the immediate foreground, give 

 life to the whole scene. 



As I have before said, the object for which the Settle- 

 ment was formed, was the imprisonment and forced labour 

 of convicts from India and Burmah ; the convicts are here 

 to the number of 12,000, of whom 65 per cent, are 

 Hindus, 25 per cent. Mahomadans, and the rest Burmese 

 Buddhists. On their arrival, they are put to outdoor 

 work and in the jail, for the caste principle prevents any 

 combination for the purpose of mutiny; but lest there 

 should be a mutiny or disturbance of any kind a company 

 of British troops and some Madras infantry are always 

 stationed in the barracks on Ross. In addition to this, 

 there are 650 native police, principally Punjaubees; but 

 these do not guard the convicts, they only keep watch on 

 the many rowing-boats ; and so well has this watch been 

 kept that there has not been an escape by boat since 1880, 

 and there are 130 boats and canoes kept at the Settlement. 

 " Good conduct" men are selected to keep guard over the 

 convicts. 



For the first month, to impress the fact on their minds 

 that they are not free, the convicts work in chains, but 

 these are removed on proof of good conduct, and even 

 when at work other than "hard" the prisoners are recog- 

 nizable by a wooden tally suspended by a wire round the 

 neck, on which is inscribed the date of sentence, the 

 sentence itself, and the "code" number, so that at any 

 time you may know the class of man with whom you may 

 be brought in contact. It is not until a man has served 

 10 years, and has l)orne a good character that he is 

 permitted to become a "jemadar," or petty officer, as 

 already mentioned ; or he may he, as many are (and 

 women too) taken as a servant by any of the officials of 

 the Settlement. It may be rather startling to learn that 

 the best servants and the most trustworthy are the 



