| 1788 | 1789 | 1790 | 1791 | 1792 | 1793 | 1794 | 1795 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strength on 1st Nov. | 969 | 980 | 1176 | 1155 | 1162 | 1083 | 844 | 755 |
| Died | 51 | 80 | 133 | 146 | 102 | 83 | 65 | 65 |
| Deserted | 3 | 6 | 7 | 11 | 14 | 10 | 10 | 8 |
| Discharged | 25 | 30 | 9 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 5 | 7 |
| Invalided | 26 | 15 | 21 | 25 | 35 | 31 | 15 | 37 |
| Total | 105 | 131 | 170 | 189 | 161 | 135 | 95 | 117 |
It will not be uninteresting at this period to examine the casualties of the regiment, with a view to ascertaining the relative health enjoyed in those days and at present: fortunately, the long rolls of the regiment are tolerably perfect at this period, and the following is an abstract, giving an average of 138 casualties per annum to a strength of 1,016, or about 13 per cent. per annum,—almost the same proportion of casualties as have taken place from the same causes during the last three years: their amount is 368, and the strength of the regiment in Europeans maybe taken as 3,000. The average, however, of a longer period will be more favourable to modern times, as the losses during the Afghanistan war, the destruction of the 1st troop, and the mortality from disease at Sukkhur, all tend to swell these years beyond their predecessors; but this subject will be adverted to hereafter, when abstracts of longer periods have been made.
In August, 1793, five companies of artillery, the 2nd and 4th of 1st battalion, the 1st of 2nd battalion, and the 4th and 5th of 3rd battalion, under command of Major Bruce, sailed for the coast, forming part of an expedition against Pondicherry. The troops do not appear to have been employed, and the artillery returned in October.
The allowances of officers of similar rank and in similar commands, at this time and fifty years later, form a contrast much in favour of the liberality of the old scale.
| The allowances to Major Bruce in 1793 were fixed at | The allowances to a Major similarly placed in 1843 would be | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay as Major Rs. | 180 | 0 | 0 | Pay as Major Rs. | 182 | 10 | 0 |
| Batta as Colonel | 1,200 | 0 | 0 | Batta as Major | 456 | 9 | 0 |
| ½ Table allowance | 600 | 0 | 0 | Tentage as Major | 120 | 0 | 0 |
| Field allowance | 120 | 0 | 0 | Horse allowance | 30 | 0 | 0 |
| Command allow. | 300 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 2,100 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 1,089 | 3 | 0 | ||||
But it must be allowed that the juniors of the army are in much better circumstances than they were then.
The whole of the officers employed were to receive full batta at Madras, and the difference of full and double full batta to be audited to them in Bengal.
A detachment of 105 Europeans and 230 lascars, under Captain Frazer,[[30]] embarked in October on board Commodore Mitchell’s fleet as marines, and served for nearly a year. Their good conduct, and the unanimity which prevailed between them and the crews of the different ships, were eulogized by the Commander-in-Chief in General Orders on their return.
The regiment was inspected by the Commander-in-Chief, Sir Robert Abercrombie, in February, and by the Governor-General, Sir John Shore, in March, 1794, and elicited, on both occasions, praises for its appearance, discipline, and performance of exercises and evolutions.
From the General Orders of 9th June of this year, we learn that, “at the recommendation of the commandant of artillery and chief engineer, the Rev. W. Paul Limerick, chaplain, was appointed teacher of mathematics to the corps of artillery and engineers, with the allowance of 500 rupees per mensem, formerly received by W. Burroughs in a similar situation.”