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378 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
the ducks, or perform any menial office. 5th. In case of mis-
conduct a non-commissioned officer to be confined, and (if the
havildar) a naiqne, or (if the naique) a private is to be selected
to perform his duty till he can be tried, or upon due sense of his
misconduct, it shall be deemed proper to release him. 6th. In
110 case is a non-commissioned officer to be struck, or to have
corporal punishment. 7th. Privates are, for crimes of a serious
nature, to be confined, till they can be brought to trial, but for
offences of less importance, when absent from the Presidency
and the support of discipline requires immediate punishment,
they are to be punished with a "rattan," according to the degree
of the offence, by the drummer or fifer, in presence of the
detachment to Avhom the cause of the punishment is to be
clearly explained, or for misconduct not demanding corporal
punishment, they may have allotted to them the task of picking
oakum or knotting yarns while tlieir comrades are relieved from
duty."
After the reduction of Mauritius the following honourable
testimony to the fidelity of a detachment of the corps, was
published by Government on the ord of April, 1811, to which
reference has already been made. " The Hon. the Governor
in Council having received official information from the Com-
mander of the ' Aurora' cruiser, that the late Government of
the Isle of P" ranee, and its officers, had endeavoured to prevail
upon a detachment of the Marine Battalion, embarked on
board that vessel, to enter the French service after her capture
by the French frigates 'Astrea' and 'Iphigenia,' on the 21st of
September last, and that various ineffectual means, as well of
persuasion as of a coercive nature, had been resorted to, to
induce the Sepoys to swerve from their allegiance to the Hon.
Company, deemed it proper to cause the circumstance of these
transactions to be thoroughly investigated.
"The Board of Officers appointed for this purpose having closed
their proceedings, the Governor in Council has sincere satis-
faction in announcing that the result of the inquiry has afforded
another distinguished proof of the fidelity and attachment of the
Native Army of this establishment, under circumstances of a
very trying nature. It appears that in addition to repeated offers
of encouragement, and failing in that, to the infliction of severe
and even cruel treatment, to induce and compel the detachment
generally to betray their duty to the Hon. Company, Sheikh
Boodle in particular, upon refusing to enter the French service,
was thrice severely wounded in the arm and once on the head,
the effects of which (it is apprehendedj have incapacitated this
faithful soldier from the performance of further duty.
" The conduct of the detachment, though not unprecedented
by various examples of similar attachment in the Native troops
of this establishment, being accordingly considered as highly