1839. J Dr. Burke's Reports. 63 



age, and season ; and there are on record my memorials on these 

 subjects to the Commander-in-Chief in India, and to the Medical 

 Department in England— of December 23d, 1826 ; May 31st, 1827 ; 6th 

 January, 1828; and December, 1829— and upon which the Home 

 authorities at last acted. In these memorials it was represented 

 by me, 



1st. That the soldier should arrive in India at the age and period 

 when he can be of the greatest use when called upon for actual 

 service. That age to be 24 or 26, or full grown manhood, as most 

 favourable to health, and least so to disease in India. 



2nd. That recruits and soldiers should be embarked in England, 

 so as to arrive in Bengal at the commencement of the cool season, 

 when they might be marched to their several Stations up the country, 

 instead of proceeding by the river. 



These memorials I accompanied with various statements; such 

 as those in this communication, in proof of the great comparative 

 mortality among the lad recruits particularly; as also the com- 

 parative mortality between the soldiers arriving in Bengal in the hot 

 and in the cool season, as by the following abstract of statements from 

 December 1825, to July 1829, of casualties of detachments His 

 Majesty's service, arriving in Bengal from England, being, 



In the cold season, per cent, 0*75 



In the hot season, 30 



Proceeding by water to join their corps, 650 



On marching to join their corps, r . . . 0*50 



Average of casualties on the voyage out, 1'50 



Average of casualties from the date of arrival in Bengali fi w- 

 to joining their corps, . . J ' 



Ditto of casualties of the whole of the detachments \ 



from their leaving England to join their corps in > 80 



Bengal, J 



The accompanying Returns* elucidate these subjects still further, 

 shewing the state of each Regiment His Majesty's service, their 

 strength, the numbers who joined, and that died, from the date of 

 their arrival in the Bengal command to the 31st December last. 



On consulting the monthly admissions in the returns of sick, an 

 abstract from which is given on the other side, the number of cases 

 of disease (and they are particularly of the acute kind) and casual- 

 ties, will be observed to correspond in a most remarkable manner with 

 the range of the thermometer, especially at the Stations in Upper 

 India ; and so great is the difference between the cold season and the 



* The Returns alluded to, will form an appendix to the next Number.— Ed. 



