India, its administration & progress / Sir John Strachey.

  • John Strachey
Date:
1903
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: India, its administration & progress / Sir John Strachey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    can be found in any other country. Every regiment, battery, and depot has its regimental institute, a sort of soldiers’ club, with refreshment department, library, reading and recreation rooms, a temperance association room, and a theatre. The issue of spirits has been diminished, and is discouraged, while every encourage- ment is given to useful employment and occupation for the men. Cantonments for 25 per cent of the whole force have been provided at stations in the Himalaya or other mountains. The education of soldiers’ children is provided for partly in regimental schools and partly in the Lawrence Asylums in the hills, excellent institu- tions, originally founded by the liberality of Sir Henry Lawrence, and now largely assisted by the Government. Other measures have greatly added to our military strength in India. All points on the north-western frontier at which attack seems possible are now guarded by strongly-fortified positions, and connected with the railway system of India; the principal ports have been fortified and armed with modern guns, and the defence of the harbours is secured by a flotilla of turret-ships, torpedo gunboats, and torpedo boats. The Native army and Volunteers have been, or are about to be, armed with the latest pattern rifle, and the establishment of a cordite factory will render the army self-supporting, to a great extent, in regard to its ammunition in case of necessity. Another very important measure has been the formation of Volunteer corps. There are already in India 31,000 Volunteers, nearly all British, of whom 30,000 are effective and well armed. The defensive value of this force can hardly be over-stated. If it had existed in 1857, many of the catastrophes of that time would undoubtedly have been prevented. Supreme authority over the army in India is
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