'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎474] (493/622)

474
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
simoom. The proceedings I have heard of the camp at Ohucka-
derpore,* near here, have been disgraceful. 1 like Captain
Birch, the Assistant-Commissioner, very much ; he assists me
in all I want, and appears to be very glad I have arrived. I
am going to unload and overhaul all ammunition this evening,
and have got my guns mounted. I am nearly driven frantic by
applications for all sorts of things; small payments for com
missariat supplies, elephants' food, money, extra gharries' pay,
baker's flour, &c. You will scarcely credit that these con
tractors who are sent to ease the work, I should conceive, of the
Commanding officer, are thrown on my hands, without a pice to
procure what they contract to do, and they surround me all day,
saying they are starving. Mr. Rose, from Midnapore, and his
twenty men, I send on to Chuckaderpore with his convoy of
provisions."
Lieutenant Windus writes from Chyabassa on the 5th of
August:—" I am hard at workf fitting out a magazine, building
* This refers to the conduct of the Police Brigade, about whom Captain Birch
wrote in the following terms to Captain Campbell, under date the 24th of July,
a few days before the arrival of Lieutenant Windus, who was sent to relieve
them : u If your Articles of War and the Civil Power can save the officers from
being robbed occasionally by the men, and the natives from rape and murder, I
shall not want more, but these little trifles are quite a pastime with the men we
have, and the sooner the fun is put a stop to the better. I do not think that any
of your officers can shoot a man for mutiny, or hang him for murder without a
Court-Martial, and the Civil Power, at any time only able to deal with the latter,
cannot touch a British subject in these parts ; the cost and expense to G-ovem
inent, and misery to the witnesses if a man must be sent to Calcutta to be tried,
will very soon call for an enactment on the subject. I have now a murder case
in hand against two Europeans, and I write feelingly. A court-martial is the
only remedy that I can see, for I do not at all wish for extended powers myself
as I have quite enough on my hands without the Europeans." Speaking of a
rumour of the continuance of the Marine Police Brigade, Lieutenant Windus
says ;—" The state of things up here has been dreadful, and I can easily under
stand reports having come in from all sides to Government showing the little con
trol these Police Brigade officers have over their men, and the enormities com
mitted. The fact is a good many of the best men among them really wish to
join us (I speak advisedly), but they want to have a week or two in Calcutta first
and join in Eort William. As for the trash, they dread discipline, and we don't
want them. I really hope it is not the case, as we only heard it from one of Mr.
Moore's officers, who came over from Chuckaderpore this morning, and made an
application to the Commissioner to go out to swear the re-volunteers in for
another six months, but Captain Birch declines doing so until I hear from you
officially on the matter. Mr. Moore is to be placed under my orders immediately,
which, from all accounts, will not be very delightful news for him if I go out to
the camp, and see a few of the amusements going on in that direction."
f Of the difficulties in the commissariat line with which he had to contend, he
says :— <c I had three months' provisions, the consumption of which I reckon
from the 1st of July, my salt provisions is as yet intact, but the great consumption
has been of biscuit, the baker contractor not having beyond four or five times
provided any fresh bread since we started. There is an oven out here very much
out of repair, and whilst it is so, I am obliged to serve out biscuit, as there is
only one native mason, who is constantly drunk. Fresh meat fails altogether
sometimes and cannot be procured in the jungle at any price, but at any rate I
think you will be satisfied of the importance of spirits, tea, sugar, and biscuit,
being dispatched at a proper time before our present stock is consumed. There is
nothing here and nothing to use as a substitute."