1826.] The King's Troops in India. 273 



and 60 degrading, that it can spring from nothing but that Bpirit of 

 monopoly, inseparable, we suppose, from the very constitution of the 

 Company — from that jealous assertion of superiority which, though 

 conscious of its imbecility, affects independence and indifference, and 

 will at all events acknowledge no obligation. Advert we now, then, 

 for a few minutes, to the condition of the soldier. He, of course, 

 " shares the degradation of his superior : No such thing. The soldier and 

 the officer, in the equitable eyes of the Company, are very differently esti- 

 mated. The officer cannot step out of the line of regimental appoint- 

 ment without occupying that which might have been possessed by one 

 of their own servants, and the intent of the Company is, of course, to 

 appropriate all profitable offices, high and low. Of the common soldier 

 there is no jealousy j he comes into no competition with the European 

 servants of the Company, and can deprive none of emolument ; there- 

 fore he may be, and in his own opinion he is, liberally treated ; he is 

 not thrust below the sepoy ; he does not sink below the level of his 

 station at home; if -he gain no solid advantage, in his own estimate, per- 

 haps, he loses none ; and the colour of his skin, besides, elevates him 

 somewhat above his swarthy comrades ; to his coarser conceptions, his 

 state is considerably amended ; the habits of an Indian barrack differ 

 widely from an English one. At home, he has iV'w hours at his own 

 free control : occupation is sedulously provided for him, in exercise, 

 or guard, in polishing his arms, and attending to his dress and appear- 

 ance ; his very diet is vigilantly regulated, and his health and vigour 

 thus wisely secured ; drunkenness is severely and pretty successluUy 

 checked. But once in India, and the scene entirely shifts : he is almost 

 his own master ; and not only so, but the master of three or four slaves ; 

 he is at once an idler and a gentleman ; he has neither to sweep his 

 room, nor make his bed, nor clean his shoes, nor cook his dinner, nor 

 even to shave himself; for the execution of all these labours, the mise- 

 rable wretches of the country are at his beck ; and he himself, if he 

 clean his firelock and brush his scarlet, has no more to do but lounge 

 in the barrack-yard, and drink himself into a fever ; for the accomplish- 

 ment of which he is amply and generously supplied. What are the 

 consequences of this want of emplo}^inent, and abundance of ardent 

 spirits ? Such as might well be anticipated, but such as, unhappily, 

 destructive as they are, have forced on hitherto no efficient remedies, 

 nor scarcely any palliatives. On their morals the very worst. Observe 

 the progress, not merely probable, but actual : first, appear small neg- 

 lects and inattentions ; by degrees more serious ones — slovenliness in 

 dress, absence from parade or from guard, affrays with the natives, 

 stealing and selling necessaries, robberies, abuse and violence towards 

 non-commissioned officers, insolence towards their commanders, and 

 finally, desertion, mutiny and murder. On his health, the effect of 

 indolence and excess is equally fatal : in the absence of all employment, 

 time soon begins to hang heavy on the young soldier ; the heat of the 

 climate is adverse to voluntary occupation of a laborious or violent kind, 

 and games of amusement present little temptation except for money or 

 spirits ; he sleeps away his hours to relieve the intolerable state of 

 ennui ; though averse at first to drinking, with some misgiving of its 

 more than usually baleful effects in a hot climate, he soon requires 

 excitement ; he imitates or yields to the importunities of his comrades, 

 and his taste and thirst for spirits become at last insatiable ; his vigour 

 and activity fail — he loses the sense of shame, and with it the pride of 

 M. M. Nnv Series.— Y Oh. I. No. 3. 2 N 



