THE IMPERIAL SYSTEM 81
may, perhaps be argued on the other hand that much of the military expenditure, large though it was, went back into the coffers of the Indians themselves as they formed the bulk of the forces employed in the country. The Indians of course, formed a very large portion of the military, [1] and if the scales of salaries fixed for the European and native forces were equal the result would have been favourable to the natives of the country, though it cannot be said to have excused that huge military expenditure. But the scales of salaries for the Europeans and natives were so grossly unequal [2] that one European drew on an average more than the salaries of four natives put together. So this expenditure, whether from the standpoint of public utility or private employment, did not benefit the population which contributed to the revenues of the State.
1 This may be seen from the following figures :— STRENGTH OF THE INDIAN ARMY BEFORE THE MUTINY*
| Col1 | European | Native | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artillery ... Sappers ... Cavalry ... Infantry ... Total ... | 6,419 110 3,456 29,760 | 9,138 3,043 30,533 188,660 | 15,577 3,153 32,989 218,420 |
| 38,745 | 231,374 | 270,119 |
*Report of Major-General Hancock on the Reorganization of the Indian Army, Parliamentary paper of the year 1859, p. 21.
2 This is indicated by the following table :— COST OF AN INFANTRY REGIMENT PER MONTH
| Col1 | EUROPEAN | Col3 |
|---|---|---|
| Details | Total | |
| OfÀ cers 37 Officers … … Staff and Establishment … … Command and other allowances Men 117N.CO.S. … … 950 Privates … … Rations, clothing and other charges Total | Rs. As. Ps. 14,734 14 3 4,515 12 4 2,528 8 0 2,289 4 5 11,203 8 4 12,506 11 3 | Rs. As. Ps. 21,779 2 7 25,999 8 0 |
| 47,778 10 7 |