"The first outbreak was at Berhampoor, near Calcutta, on the 25th of February, 1857, where the 19th Regiment refused to use the cartridges or obey any orders. The regiment was disbanded a month later, and meantime there had been trouble in other regiments in various parts of Bengal; by the 1st of May the spirit of revolt had spread through the entire presidency, and within a fortnight from that date the horrible massacres of Allahabad, Delhi, Dumdum, and a dozen other points had taken place. The whole country was lighted up with the fires of rebellion, and the ground was red with the blood of the victims, which included every person of European or Eurasian origin on whom the rebels could lay their hands. [Illustration: TRIAL OF A MUTINEER.] "Then came the revenge, as soon as the English could assemble the necessary troops. One stronghold after another fell, and before the end of the year the revolt was in a state of suppression; several battles occurred in the spring of 1858, and in some localities the rebels held out till autumn of that year. Anybody who wishes a full account of the scenes of that terrible time is referred to the many books that have been written concerning it, and particularly to 'The Sepoy War in India,' by J. W. Kaye. [Illustration: ENGLISH OFFICERS IN INDIA.] "Since the rebellion and its suppression there has been a radical change in the organization of the army. The native forces in all India are about 130,000, and the English 75,000. Compare this arrangement with that which existed at the time of the Mutiny, when the native strength was 240,000 and the English less than 40,000, and you will see a vast difference. Each cavalry and infantry regiment has only eight European officers, including the surgeon, and none of them are attached to the companies, which are all led by their native captains. The native captains are drawn from the higher castes, and appointed to their places, as in England, while in the old formation they were promoted from the ranks, and were often of low caste, so that they were despised by many of the soldiers they commanded.