At home, usually five battalions are quartered in London, and the other two in Windsor and Dublin respectively.

The uniform of the Guards differs from that of the Infantry of the Line chiefly in the shape of the facings and in the head-gear, the latter being the well-known bearskin, with white or red plumes for Grenadiers or Coldstream respectively. The forage-cap is round, with bands of red, white, and dice for the three regiments respectively. The armament and equipment is precisely that of the Infantry of the Line.

Of the 69 Regiments of the Line, one (Cameron Highlanders) consists of 1 battalion; two (60th King’s Royal Rifle Corps and Rifle Brigade) of 4 battalions; and the remainder of 2 battalions each. Total 141 battalions.

The regiments are now called after their “Territorial Districts,” which are the districts whence their recruits are drawn, and in which their depôt is situated. Up to 1881, the Infantry of the Line consisted of 109 regiments, mostly of 1 battalion each, and numbered up to 109. In that year, however, the system was changed, and a regiment is now known by the county or part of the country it recruits in, with occasionally the addition of a few other titles, such as “Borderers,” “King’s Own,” “Loyal,” etc., etc.

Of the 69 regiments we have—

9RegimentsofFusiliers.
4””Rifles.
5””Highlanders.
7””Regiments of Light Infantry.
44””Regiments of Infantry (pure and simple).

The Infantry, with the exception of the four Rifle regiments, is, of course, clothed in scarlet tunics, with facings of dark blue, white, yellow, or green, according as whether the regiment is a “Royal,” English, Scottish, or Irish one.

The head-dress of the Fusiliers is a busby of rough sealskin, shaped similarly to the Guards’ bearskin, but much smaller. The (5th) Northumberland Fusiliers wear a red and white plume, the remainder none.

The Rifle regiments are clothed in a very dark green, almost black, uniform. The Rifle Brigade facings are black, those of the 60th K. R. R. red, and those of the other two, Scottish and Irish Rifles, dark and light green respectively. The first two mentioned are historically connected with Hussar regiments,[8] and consequently the officers wear round forage-caps, trailing swords, and a few other Cavalry-like details; and the late head-gear used to be a Hussar-like black busby. The helmet of all Rifle regiments is at present black, but it will shortly be exchanged for a black Astrakhan fatigue-cap, with plume for full dress.