A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & IISleeman, W. H. (William Henry), Sir
History
A Journey through the Kingdom of Oude, Volumes I & II
Sleeman, W. H. (William Henry), Sir
Oudh (India) -- Description and travel
The present Nazim has with him two Nujeeb Regiments, one of nine
hundred and fifty-five, and the other of eight hundred and thirty
men; a squadron of horse and fourteen guns. The two corps are
virtually commanded by fiddlers and eunuchs at Court. Of the men
borne on the muster rolls and paid, not one-half are present; of the
number present, not one-half are fit for the duties of soldiers; and
of those fit for such duties, not one-half would perform them. They
get nominally four rupees a-month, liable to numerous deductions, and
they are obliged to provide their own clothing, arms, accoutrements,
and ammunition, except on occasions of actual fighting, when they are
entitled to powder and ball from the Government officer under whom
they are employed. He purchases powder in the bazaars, or has it sent
to him from Lucknow; and, in either case, it is not more than one-
third of the strength used by our troops. It is made in villages and
supplied to contractors, whose only object is to get the article at
the cheapest possible rate; and that supplied to the most petted
corps is altogether unfit for service.
The arms with which they are expected to provide themselves are a
matchlock and sword. They are often ten or twelve months in arrears,
and obliged to borrow money for their own subsistence and that of
their families, at twenty-four per cent. interest. If they are
disabled, they have little chance of ever recovering the arrears of
pay due to them; and if they are killed, their families have still
less. Even the arms and accoutrements which they have purchased with
their own money are commonly seized by the officers of Government,
and sold for the benefit of the State. Under all these disadvantages,
the Nazim tells me that he thinks it very doubtful whether any of the
men of the two corps would fight at all on emergency. The cavalry are
still worse off, for they have to subsist their horses, and if any
man's horse should be disabled or killed, he would be at once
dismissed with just as little chance of recovering the arrears of pay
due to him. Of the fourteen guns, two only are in a state fit for
service. Bullocks are provided for six out of fourteen, but they are
hardly able to stand from want of food, much less to draw heavy guns.
I looked at them, and found that they had had no grain for many
years, and very little grass or chaff, since none is allowed by
Government for their use, and little can be got by forage, or
plunder, which is the same thing. One seer and half of grain, or
three pounds a-day for each bullock, is allowed and paid for by
Government, but the bullocks never get any of it. Of the six best
guns, for which he has draft bullocks, the carriage of one went to
pieces on the road yesterday, and that of another went to pieces
this-morning in my camp, in firing the salute, and both guns now lie
useless on the ground. He has one mortar, but only two shells for it;
and he has neither powder nor ball for any of the guns. He was
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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