526 THE KASHMIR IMPERIAL SERVICE ARTILLERY. 
march to Chitral, which Lieutenant C. G. Stewart, D.S8.O., R.A. has 
described in these pages. 
The Mountain batteries are now fully equipped and resemble in 
every detail our own Mountain batteries and draw and replenish their 
equipment from.-Rawal Pindi Arsenal. They are composed almost 
entirely of Dogras, the right half battery being Hindus, the left half 
battery Muhamadans. The commanding officer is styled the com- 
mandant (a rank) and wears lieut.-colonel’s badges, with the object of 
making him equal in rank to the commandants of regiments (a very 
praiseworthy object!) an old custom in the Dograarmy. He has under 
him his captain (subahdar) and two subalterns (jemadars.) The 
officers have often direct commissions but may be promoted from the 
ranks. 
The batteries receive prizes for skill-at-arms and practice annually 
on similar scale and under similar rules to native batteries in India. 
Their shooting and fire discipline is very fair,and in the season 
1895-96 they shot at competitive practice under the rules laid down 
for batteries armed with the 7-pr. and made very respectable scores. 
The Royal Artillery officer on Colonel Melliss’s staff is styled Assis- 
tant Inspecting Officer Imperial Service Artillery and has his head- 
quarters at Jammu. He advises the Kashmir authorities on artillery 
subjects and under the Inspector-General of Imperial Service Troops 
arranges all matters relating to the organization, pay, equipment, etc. 
of the two Mountain batteries and purchases their remounts and also 
inspects and superintends the training of the Mountain battery 
stationed at Jammoo. 
The battery in the Gilgit district is supervised by the Royal Artillery 
officer on the British Gilgit agent’s staff; he becomes C.R.A. in the 
event of service and superintends all artillery matters in the agency. 
The assisting inspecting officer at Jammoo and the R.A. officer at 
Gilgit submit confidential reports to the Inspector-General of Im- 
perial Service Troops on the batteries under their inspection every 
six months. 
As the object of the Imperial Service system is to train the native 
commandants to be self-reliant, the better the commandants of the 
Mountain batteries can “run their own shows” in every way, the 
better the R.A. officers connected with them have done their work. 
The equipment is issued, however, to the assistant inspecting officer, 
who keeps the ledgers and conducts all correspondence on this subject. 
Hverything else, such as pay, clothing, discipline, rations, is run by the 
commandants, who also, of course, have the actual charge of the 
equipment, the assistant inspecting officer having free access to inspect 
the offices and check irregularity in routine. 
Some of the officers and non-commissioned officers have attended the 
Mountain artillery practice camp near Rawal Pindi the last two years, 
with the result that they have much improved their ideas on what a 
battery should be and are filled with zeal to shoot well. It is hoped 
that one of the batteries themselves may attend this practice camp 
soon. 
From the foregoing it will be seen that these batteries, so far as 
