They have now the privilege of petitioning through the
Resident like our sipahees of the line, and that of the pension
establishment, while Barlow's, Bunbury's, and Magness's corps have
neither. They have none but internal duties--they are hardly ever
sent out to aid the King's local authorities, and do not escort
treasure even for their own pay. It is sent to them by drafts from
Lucknow on the local collectors of the district in which they are
cantoned; and the money required for the Resident's Treasury--a great
portion of which passes through the Seetapoor cantonments--is
escorted by our infantry regiments of the line, stationed at Lucknow,
merely because a General Order exists that no irregular corps shall
be employed on such duties while any regular corps near has a relief
of guards present. The corps of regular infantry at Shajehanpoor
escorts the treasure six marches to Seetapoor, where it is relieved
by a detachment from one of the regular corps at Lucknow, six marches
distant.
The native officers and sipahees of these two corps have leave of
absence to visit their families just as often and for just as long
periods as those of the corps under the three above-named officers--
that is, for one month out of twelve. The native officers and
sipahees of these three corps are not, however, so much drilled or
restrained as those of the two Oude local corps, in which no man
dares to help himself occasionally to the roofs of houses and the
produce of fields or gardens; nor to take presents from local
authorities, as they are hardly ever sent out to assist them.
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