RETURN TO BENGAL--AMALGAMATION OF THE ARTILLERY REGIMENTS
Towards the end of 1862 I left the Deccan on a pleasant visit to
Sir William Denison, then Governor of Madras, and in February 1863,
having served upwards of five years in India, was on the eve of
embarkation for England when a telegram came from Sir Hugh Rose,
Commander-in-Chief, inviting me to return to Bengal to become
Adjutant-General of all the artillery in India. My plans were therefore
entirely altered, and I embarked for Calcutta instead of England, and,
after a long journey up to Meerut, joined Sir Hugh, and went with him
to Simla in the Himalayas.
At this time great changes had become necessary in the army in India in
consequence of the Mutiny of 1857, and of the subsequent discontent of
the local European forces in 1859. In fact, the whole administration,
both civil and military, was undergoing revision and reform. The
direct assumption of the government of India by the Crown, and the
disappearance of the old East India Company, though a beneficial
change in itself, still naturally caused some confusion and revived
old controversies. Hitherto there had been two armies in the country,
serving side by side, with two separate staffs, with somewhat different
sentiments, and not devoid of feelings of jealousy. The artillery
were specially affected by the contemplated changes. Although in the
early days of the East India Company a battery or two from England
had occasionally served in India, still they were exceptions, and
for many years each presidency had maintained a regiment of its own,
partly English, partly native; and as we gradually conquered one
province after another, they took part in many campaigns, performing
distinguished services, and were deservedly held in high esteem.
Therefore, when it became evident that unity of administration must be
introduced as regards our military forces, and when, in the autumn of
1862, the three regiments of Indian artillery were incorporated with
the Royal--losing, as it were, their separate individuality--it was
only natural that the officers and men of all the four corps should
have felt some regret at an arrangement which, however necessary it
might be, was not in accord with old feelings and sentiments. All
organised bodies may be said to be conservative, in so far that they
dislike change.
The foregoing remarks may be sufficient to indicate the general
conditions of the artillery problem when I was invited to become the
chief staff officer, and to carry out the amalgamation. There were not
only sentimental feelings and differences to be considered, but the
systems of training, discipline, and even the _matériel_, were all to
some extent different. Still, all these were comparatively minor and
transient questions; and I fully recognised in the first place that
whilst the batteries of old Royal Artillery would benefit by the wide
experience of service in India--from which, previous to the Mutiny,
they had been debarred--those of the local regiments would, on the
other hand, benefit even more largely by periodical return to England,
especially in these days of constant change and progress in the science
of artillery. It was with these views that I entered on the somewhat
difficult task of producing unity of system and of feeling in the
hundred and four batteries which at that time were serving in India.
Sir Hugh Rose, the Commander-in-Chief in India, and H.R.H. the Duke of
Cambridge, the head of the Army at home, were in full accord in these
matters; and notwithstanding certain differences of opinion, I also
received loyal support from the officers of artillery all over the
country, so that in the course of 1863 all real difficulties gradually
disappeared. My great desire was, as far as possible, to respect the
interests of all, and to promote unity, not only as good in itself,
but also as conducing to the efficiency of the regiment and to the
advantage of the State. It was not altogether an easy task, but I was
amply rewarded by the generous confidence of my brother officers.
Reminiscences of the bygone system of the East India Company still,
however, prevailed more or less in the councils of the Government of
India, and nothing could be more difficult than the position of Sir
Hugh Rose at that period of change; and it was a pleasure to me to
serve under, and if possible to assist, so distinguished a soldier
and one with whom I had been in frequent association during the
Crimean war. Lord Elgin was at that time Viceroy, and I had one or two
conversations with him regarding the alleged danger from the turbulent
population of Hyderabad, and gave my opinion that these fears were
exaggerated, and that, especially with a Prime Minister such as Salar
Jung, there need be no real apprehension of an outbreak.
It is sometimes supposed that red tape is peculiar to official
departments at home, but that is an error. There are large consignments
of it sent to India, and I will give an instance. One day at Simla an
old artillery officer called and requested me to give him a certificate
of his being alive, as the audit office refused to give him his pay
without it. He seemed to be well and lively, and I therefore complied
at once; and as his visit was in August, dated it accordingly. On
looking at it, he remarked: 'Ah, you have dated it August. That is
of no use. I have already sent them one of that kind, but what they
require is a certificate that I was alive in July.' This opened out a
new aspect of the case, but, after consideration, I certified that to
the best of my belief he was living the previous month. Whether he ever
received his pay, I am not sure.