To this, the authenticity of which is unquestionable, may be advantageously appended the following
MEMORANDUM BY BRIGADIER A. ROBERTS, C.B.
“The king, with the envoy and staff, spent the winter of 1839 at Jellalabad. I was one of the party, as I then commanded the Shah’s troops. We all arrived at Caubul early in May of 1840. Sturt of the Engineers, was stationed at Caubul to fit up buildings for the troops and to construct new barracks. Soon after my arrival at Caubul, I looked at the ground selected by the engineer for barracks; and considering his plan most objectionable (which was long ranges of buildings the same as at Caunpore or Meerutt), for a country where the cold in winter was intense, and where no person considered life secure outside of a fort, I wrote as follows:—
Caubul, 9th May, 1840.
My dear Sturt,
Is it decided for what troops you are building barracks? for if the Shah’s force is to be accommodated, I should like to suggest some alterations. Instead of having separate buildings for each company, I would strongly recommend squares for wings or regiments; the latter I would prefer, as I think they would possess many advantages for this country:—
1. Much less ground would be necessary.
2. One fourth of the sentries would not be required.
3. For European regiments visiting officers would find them much more convenient, and all bad characters could be prevented roving about the country.
4. With a parapet wall they could be easily defended, and which would be an object in the event of the troops being called away.