found but few
exceptions that those who are most disposed to resist constituted
authority are those most disposed to abuse such authority when they
get it. The members of these families, disposed, as they always are,
to pay deference to such authority, are scarcely ever found to abuse
it when it devolves upon them; and the elder son, when he succeeds to
the place of his father, loses none of the affectionate attachment of
his younger brothers.

They never take their wives or children with them to their
regiments, or to the places where their regiments are stationed.[27]
They leave them with their fathers or elder brothers, and enjoy their
society only when they return on furlough. Three-fourths of their
incomes are sent home to provide for their comfort and subsistence,
and to embellish that home in which they hope to spend the winter of
their days. The knowledge that any neglect of the duty they owe their
distant families will be immediately visited by the odium of their
native officers and brother soldiers, and ultimately communicated to
the heads of their families, acts as a salutary check on their
conduct; and I believe that there is hardly a native regiment in the
Bengal army in which the twenty drummers who are Christians, and have
their families with the regiment, do not cause more trouble to the
officers than the whole eight hundred sepoys.

To secure the fidelity of such men all that is necessary is to make
them feel secure of three things--their regular pay, at the handsome
rate at which it has now been fixed; their retiring pensions upon the
scale hitherto enjoyed; and promotion by seniority, like their
European officers, unless they shall forfeit all claims to it by
misconduct or neglect of duty.[28] People talk about a demoralized
army, and discontented army! No army in the world was certainly ever
more moral or more contented than our native army; or more satisfied
that their masters merit all their devotion and attachment; and I
believe none was ever more devoted or attached to them.[29] I do not
speak of the European officers of the native army. They very
generally believe that they have had just cause of complaint, and
sufficient care has not always been taken to remove that impression.
In all the junior grades the Honourable Company's officers have
advantages over the Queen's in India. In the higher grades the
Queen's officers have advantages over those of the Honourable
Company. The reasons it doe