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490 HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
very few men besides himself would have sent forth. lie
conceived tluit such conduct must have recomtnended hini
strongly to the Company. He thought that the giving up of
those junks was extremely proper, and he only wished that the
same sort of liberality had been displayed on other occasions."
That eminent scholar, Dr. Gilchrist, said in the course of his
—
speech: "It had been asserted that the Bombay Marine had
no right to complain, because the officers entered into the
Service under certain stipulations as to pay and allowances.
But did not njilitary men enter the Service under certain stipula-
tions f and did they not all know that something had occurred
by which the pay of the Army had been increased? Did not
many military officers now get more than was stipulated for
v/hen they entered the Army ? Had the Bombay Marine been
represented, as it ought to be, in the Court, by one or more
members of the body behind the bar, he was pretty well con-
vinced they would not have such grounds for complaint."
Another speaker observed, " one sentiment at least appeared to
be unanimous on all sides of the Court, that of doing justice,
and giving merited distinction to the Bombay Marine. All
parties strove to confer upon that Corps the honour which was
due to it. The disadvantages under which that Service
laboured had been felt and known for a considerable length of
time."
In concluding his reply upon the discussion, which ended
adversely to his motion. Captain Maxfield said — "• Before he
:
concluded, he could not omit to mention the kindness and
consideration of many of His Majesty's naval officers, with
whom the Bombay Marine had been especially associated on
service. In most instances fand he spoke from experience),
the British Navy had exhibited a degree of sympathy, feeling,
and liberality towards the officers of the Marine, which the
orders and treatment of the Court of Directors were but little
calculated to produce. The gratuitous consideration and
liberality of ihat gallant corps formed a striking contrast with
the conduct of those whose duty it was to uphold and cherish
the Bombay ]\Iarine, rather than to neglect and degrade it.
That Marine was employed on the most arduous service, and
yet the Court of Directors took no measures whatever to man
or equip them efficiently. It remained solely dependent on the
efforts of a commander to obtain a crew, as if the vessel
belonged to him and not to the State. The individual in
comujand received no aid from the Court of Directors or the
Government abroad ; he was left to his own resources, and
frequently had he been obliged to rob their merchant ships of
part of their crews, that he might man the cruisers which he
commanded. He thus always procured a crew, and he would
rather run the risk of being dismissed the Service for distressing