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Moorish government. (1)---With this view, letters were ready, or even were dispatched, to the Mahratas, and to disaffected chieftains at Cuddapass, in the ceded districts, and Vencatagharry, in the Carnatic, to excite a general hostility.---Indiscriminate fury and slaughter raged for many hours, and wretches were seen tottering from the hospital to partake in the bloody scene--while the British soldiers were dragged from the same asylum, and devoted to a deliberate death.--Fatal insurrection extended far, that even the Sepoy boys armed themselves with their carbines of exercise, and lent their aid to the general destruction. (2)

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To what extent the calamity might have reached, it is impossible to say; most happily a body of cavalry arrived from Arcot, under the intrepid colonel Gellispie, performed a military wonder, and regained possession of the fortress, rescued the brave survivors of the 69th regiment, reduced to the last extremity, and closed this scene of cruelty and cowardice.

Upon the arrival of the commander in chief at Vellore, on the third morning after the dreadful event, it appeared to be the leading principle to conciliate and restore confidence, to banish apprehension or suspicion of every nature, and pursue the paths of justice and spirit--While innocence was to be discovered from the mass of apparent crime, and protected with ardent zeal, the firm, punishment of the guilty seemed equally necessary; and this unparalleled outrage, against the British name and existence, was to be vindicated in the signal chastisement of the savage perpetrators.---Against them alone was punishment to direct its

just reprisal ; (3) towards all others policy; good principles and judgment seemed to dictate the full exertion of every former feeling of confidence and cordiality. The Indian character would understand this distinction, and not confound the operation of generosity with apprehension.

The whole dispensation seemed to require the earliest practicable termination, that the progress of oblivion might commence.

These principles actuated the commander in chief from the beginning, while at Vellore, and still direct his conduct.

Before the active causes of the insurrection at Vellore are entered upon, it appears necessary that the order to prohibit the marks of cast on parade, and the wearing earrings, &c. should be adverted to, and explanation given on this subject.---The commander in chief has already delivered his opinion on this subject; and what belongs to a statement of this nature, is only to mark circumstances, as they really are, and not to condemn on extenuate the alleged usage of the service, which does prevail on the Madras establishment, and it is stated, the Bengal also.--- Captain Sydenham, the resident at Hyderabad, writes in these terms:

"Many corps on the Madras establishment, and almost all the corps in Bengal, which are composed of Hindoos of the highest cast, never use their distinguishing marks on duty---The orders did not apply to the Mussulmans, who certainly were the most active, both in receiving and exciting the unfavorable impression which led to discontent."

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(1) Military court of inquiry. (2) Lieut. col. Forbes's Report. (3) Vide proclamation of the commander in chief, Vellore 14th July-and other papers addressed to government.

It had been found necessary to ducing, to resist innovation) he collect into one code the several suffered the insertion of the regulations of the military service, order. and the work was allotted by the A few extracts from the corresorder of government to the deputy- pondence that has taken place on adjutant- general of the army, this part of the subject, will place major Pierce, an officer of 25 years the question in the true point of experience in India, and who view. seemed in every respect most Letter from sir John Cradock to qualitied for the task.

Colonel Agnew, 16th July, 1806. As a general instruction, the

Vellore. commander in chief directed major “ But upon the other points, the Pierce to note, with read ink, all abolition of the marks of cast from matter, in the least ditferent from the foreheads of the sepoys, and the former practice or usage; that, when measurement of the meustache to a the book was submitted to govern- military pattern, &c. as expressed nient for their sanction, attention in the order, as the rumour now might be attracted to any altera- stands, and I may say accredited tion.

by government and others, I do When the deputy adjutant- feel the greatest inquietudegeneral reported ihe work pre- that it is in the power of possipared, the commander in chief bility, that infringement of the assembled the adj.-general, col. rights and prejudices of the naAgnew, the quarter-master-gen. tives, dear to them as life, should lieut.-col, Orr, and the dep.adj.-gen. originate with me, who, I will say, major Pierce, and the regulations as much as any man in India, were read by himself on many respects those immemorial usages. successive days, and discussed, -I therefore, my dear sir, must paragraph by paragraph---when call upon you, and major Pierce, the order in question, to prohibit who compiled the orders, to give the marks of casts, &c. under arms, every explanation on this particular appeared in its turn. It immedi- point, 'whether any innovation ately attracted the commander in has been introduced; or is it only chief's attention, as an impolitica continuance of the long practice interference with the customs and in the army.' prejudices of the inhabitants.

“ As such I understood it from The adjutant-general, and the you, when the orders to be publishdeputy, (on this day the quarter- ed were read, by me, in the presence master-general happened to be of yourself, major Pierce, and absent) assured the conimander in colonel Orr, expressly, that I chief, that it was the invariable might derive information from practice of the service, that in no such lengthened experience, as well-regulated corps was it ever those officers possessed, upon local perinitted; and appealed to the points; and I recollect adverting to commander in chiet's personal ob- the order in question, when I was servation among the battalions he assured, that it was the established had inspected, whether he had military custom; and, had I not remarked such distinctions. The sanctioned its common course, I commander in chief, as a stranger, must have conceived I was induced, and with an opinion only formed by self-sentiment, to overthrow the from books, could not oppose such usual established rule of a sepoy rearguments; and, anxious to leave giment. undisturbed the usual course of a (Signed) "J. F. CRADOCK." sepoy battalion, (instead of intro

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"I now reply to the second part of your excellency's inquiry, and trust this statement will fully shew, that nothing was further from your excellency's intention than any interference with the customs of cast. "The total want in many of the native corps of any standing orders for the ordinary routine of regimental duty, and interior arrangement, and the glaring deficiencies in those which existed in other corps, had been brought to public notice, in the course of the inspecting of corps. The deputy-adjutant-general, then employed by appointment of government in revising the existing code of regulations, undertook to prepare a body of standing orders for a battalion of native infantry; by which the whole army should in future be guided; and he referred to former approved systems of this kind, while preparing that which was submitted to your excellency for approval.

"The 10th paragraph of the 11th section of these orders is as follows: 'It is ordered, by the regulation, that a native soldier shall not mark his face to denote his cast, or wear earrings, when dressed in his uniform; and it is further directed, that at all parades, and upon all duties, every soldier of the battalion shall be clean shaved on the chin. It is directed also, that uniformity shall, as far as it is practicable, be preserved in regard to the quantity, and shape of the hair, upon the upper lip.'

"This paragraph, when read by Major Pierce, I considered as the mere recital of what had been long practised in well-regulated corps, under the received custom of the service; although, like many other

customs, not especially directed by any formal order, or always rigidly enforced; an opinion I joined in expressing, when your excellency stated your dislike to touch in any shape on the customs of cast, certainly not conceiving it to be a novel innovation, but what custom, if not remote regulation, had long established.

(Signed) "P. A. AGNEW." Sir John Cradock to Major Pierce, Deputy-Adjutant-General to the Army, July 24th, 1806.

"But I view the clause to abolish the distinctions of casts, &c. in the gravest light, and such, both as to sense and national interest in India, as to call for unreserved proceeding, and to fix the error, if not to be done away, where it should lie.

"You will recollect, that previous to the submission to government of the body of standing orders, I employed many days in reading over all the orders that you had taken the trouble to collate, and which work was entrusted to you by government, not only as the deputyadjutant-general, but an officer of long military experience in this country To prevent, as far as the most reflective precaution could reach, the possibility of local error, in respect to the usage of the Indian army, I summoned the adjutantgeneral, the quarter master-general, and yourself, and each paragraph was discussed.-The one in question caused my notice, and I was assured it was not only unobjectionable, but the invariable course of every regiment.-As a stranger, and in the hands of the principal staff officers of the honorable company's army, could I oppose to their experience my single sentiment, and direct the overthrow of an established custom?

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"It may appear, that I have too much sensibility on the point; but that is impossible, when the character of discretion, and even common sense, is at stake.

(Signed)" J. F. CRADOCK." The Deputy Adjutant-general, Major Pierce, to Sir John Cradock. 26th July, 1806.

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This compilation was principally founded upon standing orders, established by the late Sir John Braithwaite, as colonel of the 2nd battalion of European infantry, for that corps, with the requisite directions to render it applicable to native troops, and in reference to some of the most approved regulations formerly in force in native battalions.

"It was read aloud by your excellency, and when the 10th paragraph of the 11th sect. particularly attracted your notice, and your excelJency asked, whether it would interfere with the prejudices of the natives? I answered, under the same impression that had induced me to insert it, as did the adjutant-general to the same effect, that it would not; and that it was not the custom, in well-regulated corps, for native soldiers to appear in the manner forbid by that paragraph.

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In inserting the above-mentioned paragraph, I considered that I was merely recording what had always appeared to me to be a regulation in the well-conducted part of the service, &c. &c.

"It was my good fortune to act for a series of years as public staff officer of a station, under an officer, (General Braithwaite) who, at the same time that he paid the most unremitted attention to the comforts and real prejudices of the soldier, enforced discipline throughout every rank under his command, in a degree that I have not since seen

equalled; and I declare, upon my honor, that I do not recollect to have ever seen, during that period, a native soldier on duty with his face marked, or with large rings in his ears; and further, that I am certain, if any man had appeared so bedecked on any parade, he would have been turned off from it.—I was afterwards stationed as major of brigade at Vellore, where it never occurred, &c.

"The regiments of cavalry have in their ranks men of the highest cast, of all sects and religions; and a reference can be made to the old officers of those corps for information, whether it has, at any period, been customary for their soldiers to appear on duty, with marks on their faces, or with large earrings ?

"The proof adduced with respect to the turbans, added to what I have had the honour to state in regard to the prohibition of marks, &c. will I hope enable your excellency to fix the error where it should lie," and that it will be traced to that implacable hostile spirit against European dominion, that could transform a soldier's turnscrew into the holy cross, that could excite the artificers at Wallajahbad to refuse to work after the arrival there of the news, that Tippoo's sons were in possession of the fort of Vellore, and that could occasion the sticking up of placards in the mosques about Madras, calling upon the people to rally in defence of the true faith: a spirit which, from report, appears to have been very generally dif fused; and to have been particularly instilled into the minds of the native troops at Vellore.

(Signed)"FRED. PIERCE,

"Deputy Adjt. Gen." The commander in chief cannot be surprised, that the public mind should receive a strong impression

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am confidently assured, that many instances have occurred of native officers, of their own accord, chastising sepoys for their appearing in the ranks so distinguished." From Lieut.-Colonel Chalmers, \st bat. 2d. regt. 28th Aug. 1806.

"Sir, I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 20th instant; in reply to which, I beg leave to inform your excellency, that so far back as the year 1777, Colonel Edinton, one of the best officers in the service, to whose battalion (the 4th) I then belonged, prohibited the wearing of earrings, when on duty, or marks of cast-it was complied with, without a word being said, as it was no degradation to them, in regard to the casts, they having it in their option to wear both earrings and marks the moment they were off parade; large earrings is not a necessary mark of cast-the ears being bored is quite sufficient; nor is it a crime in a Hindoo being without a mark, for any number of days. The leaving off the large earrings and marks was such an improvement to the native soldier's appearance, that a well-regulated corps never allowed either.

"I have served in seven different corps, and was adjutant to two, and I declare that I never saw either large earrings, or conspicuous marks of cast, on a sepoy, when on duty, since the period above mentioned; nor is it at this moment adopted in the corps I command.-Those officers with whom I have had any conversation on the above subject

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upon these orders, when he recollects his own emotion, upon the perusal before mentioned; but on examination it will be found, that such has been the silent common course of practice in almost every battalion of the service-that the orders, (1) in direct words, exist in many orderly books, and are understood to prevail, though not expressed, in nearly all.-The commander in chief does not say universally, because there may be an exception; but he is not aware of the instance. It is the stranger's ear which receives alarm on the subject; the officer of long standing, and years experience in the country, knows the real case, and views it with indifference.

Is it possible, that an officer of the long experience of colonel Agnew, the adjutant-general, inferior to no officer on any staff, and superior to most in ability and intelligence, could propose such an order, were it contrary to the usage of the service, was it an innovation ?

The commander in chief abstains from present remark on the policy or injury of the principle; but justice to individuals, as well as the cause of truth, demands the statement.

The following extracts of letters will assure its foundation. From Major-Gen.Dugald Campbell.

Bellary, Sept. 12, 1806. "Since the general orders issued about eight years ago, the marks of cast have been generally discontinued throughout the army; and I

(1) Vide Order, 11th January, 1805. "1st. Bat. 1st regt -Major-General Campbell commanding the army. Agreeably to instructions received from the adjutantgeneral's office, the commanding officer of the army directs, that officers in command, and in charge of companies, will be particular in explaining to their men, that it is the commander in chief's orders, that no man whatever is to appear with a mark of any description on his face, to distinguish his cast, or to wear earrings of any kind."

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