306 BRITISH SOCIAL SYSTEM. 



to those of the regimental officers. Assistant-surgeon cor- 

 responds to lieutenant, full-surgeon to captain, supenntend- 

 ing-surgeon to major ; junior member of the medical board 

 tolieutenant-coloncl ; senior member to colonel. The most 

 advanta<reous situation is that of surgeon to a native prince; 

 and thole attached to the residencies at foreign courts 

 receive staff-allowance in addition to their pay. Some are 

 employed in garrisons, while others remain at the presiden- 

 cies, where t hey have the chance of obtaining practice among 

 opulent Englishmen and natives. Medical servants also, 

 after a certain period, retire on a liberal allowance. 



All persons receiving appointments, whether civil or mil- 

 itary) are required to give a solemn pledge that no pecuniary 

 or other consideration has been given in exchange. Any 

 individual so offending, in case of discovery at the time, or 

 at any future period, forfeits all his appointments, and is 

 subject to a criminal prosecution by act of parliament. 



Amon<r the residents in India may also be mentioned the 

 judges and officers of the king's supreme courts ; (he mem- 

 bers'of the church establishment, who receive their appoint- 

 ments from the court of directors ; and the royal troops 

 serving in that country. All these, however, usually ga 

 out at an advanced age, with their habits already formed. 

 The private merchants, we may add, are a considerable and 

 very influential class. _ 



The prospects of wealth and independence which India 

 opens to the young adventurer are not always realized. 

 Though his income is probably more liberal than he would 

 have enjoyed at home, the necessary expenses are large, 

 and there arV many temptations to extravagance. 



The Hindoos and the British have two entirely different 

 modes of spending money. The former employ it in nume- 

 rous trains of attendants, and occasional but magnificent 

 public exhibitions, while their daily fare and domestic habits 

 arc simple in the extreme. The English at home, with 

 much less regard to show, study chiefly good living and 

 comfortable accommodation. In India they unite both these 

 modes of expenditure. The pomp is dictated to them by 

 the fashion of the country, and the necessity of obtaining 

 respect among the people, while the luxury of the table is 

 conformable to their previous habits, and necessary to pre- 

 serve their influence among their countrymen. 



