1835.] 



History of the Ramoossies, 



239 



Some observations respecting the description of troops 

 supposed to be best adopted for being employed in the 

 pursuit of the diifferent predatory tribes, when they form 

 Bunds (gangs) of insurgents, are offered here with all 

 due deference. 



A very large portion of the Bombay army consists of 

 Hindoostan men. It must be admitted that these men 

 termed Purdessies (foreigners), more especially the 

 Rajpoots, from their size and figure, with their indepen- 

 dent and military gait, have a most imposing appear- 

 ance. Among the numerous Purdessies that enlist in 

 the Bombay regiments, although we find a few Kanou- 

 jiah Brahmuns, still many of them are of inferior and 

 some of the most degraded classes, persons who may 

 be considered mere adventurers, respecting whose 

 character, name, or village, nothing is known. Many 

 of the Purdessies are frequently found extremely 

 turbulent and discontented, and particularly over- 

 bearing in their behaviour to their superior non- 

 commissioned and commissioned officers, should the 

 latter be natives of the Konkan or Dekhan, more espe- 

 cially when on detached duty without a European offi- 

 cer. It therefore seems desirable that the Hindoostan 

 men should have native officers of their own caste with 

 them on such occasions, although there are instances 

 of native officers of the Purwarry caste^ retaining them 

 in high order. 



The Purdessy sepoy is in general a well formed man, 

 good looking, active, intelligent, very cheerful and high 

 spirited, and well dressed when otf duty ; as water is 

 one of the greatest luxuries in India, the Purdessy is in 

 great distress if there happens to be a scarcity of this 

 necessary of life where he is stationed. In physical 

 force he is superior, but he has more prejudices than the 

 natives of the Dekhan and Konkan, and will not so 

 readily submit to privations and hardships as the Bom- 



