Page 145 - Gulf Precis (VI)_Neat

123
CHAPTER VI.
RESIDENCY GUARD AND ESTABLISHMENTS.
(i) Baghdad Residency Guard, 1800-84:: Objection of the Porte to an
alleged increase of—1884.
127. The following memorandum of Mr. Plowdon forwarded to tho Gov­
ernment of India with letter No. 12,
A, Political E, February 1891, No*. 357-3G0.
dated Gth Jauuary 1884, gives full history
of the Residency Guard at Baghdad :—
I find from my records that tlio maintenance of a sepoy guard at tho British Residency
• To Oovornment of Bombay, dated 27th April in Turkish Arabia dates from the year 1800. It
1600. was sonton the application* of Mr. Ilarford Jones
J ?Iub*f?r‘ who nsk«d for the “ Honorary guard allowed to
1 Naic'k.°r* all Residents." This guavd, consisting of the
2GSopoyi. slrenglh shown in tho margin, arrived at Bagh-
---- dad in August 1800; about a month later two
29 mCD’ drummers were added, bringing up tho total
strength to 31 men. In 1^08 Mr. Harford Jonos was succeeded as Resident by Mr. C. J.
Rich, who died iu 1821, and' was succeeded by Captain R. Taylor, who held office until 1843.
During tho whole of this period tho sepoy guard was maintained at a strength varying from
29 to 32 men, and with tho occasional substitution of a filer for tho drummers.
“ In 1843, when Major (now Sir Ilcnrv Rawlinson) became Resident, the guard consisted
_ _ t , of 32 men, vit., 1 na»i7e officer, 5 non-commis-
ulZntliU .ioiwd officers, i drummer, ar.d 21 privates. Owing
Reply from above, No. 1253.dated 8tb Juno 18n. to certain difficulties connected with tho relief
of tho sepoys, Sir Henry proposed! at first to
send tho wbolo guard back to India, and to substitute for them a mounted escort of fifteen or
twenty 6abics recruited on tho spot. But subsequently, being unable, as he wroto, to find
people of the country iu whom ho could place implicit confidence, and it being necessary
also to provido for the safety of the treasury, he modified his original proposals, and asked
Jeavo to retain tent sepoys for employment a3
J A non-coramijiionoJ officer ostl mao privates. a treasury guard, and a mounted escort of the
1 Dtffuilar.
8 llorso men. strength shown iu the margin. In 1859 a
1 Farrier. horseman war substituted for farrier, but with
3 U rooms. this exception no further chango was made either
in the sepoy guard or in the mouutcd escort
13
until 18G1-62, when on grounds of economy the
strength of tho esoort was reduced from 13 men (including grooms) to ten men. In 1880
one oE these grooms was discharged, and tbc strength of tho mouutcd escort is now as
follows:—
1 Duffadar.
6 Horsemen.
2 Grooms.
The sepoy guard continuod at ton men until tho spring of 187.8, when at tho request
§To Government of India, No. 19, dated OtU Feb- of the Resident, Colonel Nixon, who thought
Tuary 1831. that number insufficient for the work, it was in-
Poliiicil A., July 1881, N«*. 79-83. creased to sixteen men. Iu February 1881,6 I
Political A, March 1832, No*. 03-93. askcd for a further increase, and this application
having been sanctioned, tho strength of the Residoucy guard has consisted, since May 1882,
of 25 men, vis.:—
1 Native officer.
4 Non-commissioned officer.
20 Privates.
25
It appears, therefore, from the foregoing account, that a sepoy guard has been attached
to this Residency for upwards of eighty years, and a mounted escort for forty years; and
that the present strength of the sepoy guard is less by seven men than that of tho original
guard, and that tho mounted oscort cousists now only of sevcn,|l instead of ten men. From
first to last there has been no objection on the
Q Excluiivoof groom* ia both cam.
paTt of the Turkish authorities to tho sepoy
guard ; year after year one detachment of sepoys has succeeded another without remonstranco
and without inteiforcnoo of any kind. In by-gouc days the sepoys used to escort tho British