principle, and have a larger proportion of cavalry than has hitherto been entertained.

If the police establishment were increased, we could dispense with many soldiers; at all events these latter should never be employed on police duties. As in England, so it should be in India; the soldier and policeman are essentially separate vocations, and if we try to make the native soldier act in a civil capacity, we destroy his efficiency as a soldier, without producing a decent policeman. The natives thoroughly understand the difference between the civil and military powers, and, entertained as police, they have proved economical and very efficient. The discipline of some of the Irregular regiments in India has suffered much from being broken up into small detachments for civil employ.

If I mistake not, an officer of rank has stated relative to the late mutiny in India, "that one portion of the army not having mutinied was only attributable to circumstances." This is doubtless strictly true; consequently it behoves us to have the condition of the native soldier such that it will always be against his interest to mutiny or misbehave in any way: no man understood this better than General Jacob, and it was owing to this principle being well carried out, that the Irregular troops organised and disciplined by him, though originally drawn from the most mutinous district (Delhi) were enabled to look on the mutineers with pity and contempt, to aid in restoring order, and to remain true to their salt, notwithstanding the taunts of the disaffected, the overtures of aid from semibarbarous though numerous tribes, and the dazzling temptation of the possession of a large province. The principles, it may be asserted, must be good which produced such results.

Here we have a system that has been proved to work well, producing good serviceable soldiers at a moderate expense (good in a political point of view), and, from being economical, suitable to our present financial condition: so we should lose no time in adopting a decided course and put our native army into an efficient state; for it might so happen, that ere long we might be obliged to withdraw European troops, and not only hold India with our natives, but also be glad to accept the services of some of these also; for if we should have occasion to again send troops to Egypt or into Asia Minor, none would be better adapted for service in these countries than our Indian Irregulars; and the political condition of Europe is such, that our state of peace may be converted into war without much warning or time for preparation.

THE THIRTY-FIRST ANNIVERSARY MEETING of the Members was held in the Theatre of the INSTITUTION, on Saturday the 1st of March, 1862.

The Right Honourable SIR GEORGE CORNEWALL LEWIS, Bart. M.P., Secretary of State for War, in the Chair.

I. The Minutes of the Proceedings of the last Anniversary Meeting were read.

II. The Annual Report of the COUNCIL was read as follows:

1. The COUNCIL, on presenting the Report of their Proceedings during the year 1861, have the satisfaction of informing the Members that, upon its Thirty-first Anniversary, the ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION is in a position of increasing prosperity and importance.

2. In the course of the past year many alterations and improvements have taken place, by which the departments have been rendered more useful to the members, and the Museum more interesting and instructive. The expense of conducting the ordinary business of the Institution necessarily increases as the number of members augments, and as the Institution and its transactions rise in the estimation of the professions.

MEMBERS.

3. During the year ending 31st December, 1861, 305 Members joined the Institution; the loss sustained by death amounts to 97; the withdrawals to 22; and the names of 15 have been removed from the list, in consequence of their subscriptions having remained unpaid for two years and upwards, notwithstanding repeated applications for them; the increase upon the year is therefore 171.

A detailed statement of the changes among the members, and a tabular analysis showing the present and past state of the Institution appear on page xvii.

FINANCE.

4. The General Abstract of the Accounts of 1861, as audited on the 31st of January, 1862, will be found on the opposite page.

RECEIPTS.

5. The income has exceeded the estimated receipts by £75 9s. Sixtyeight Members have in the course of the year raised their Annual Subscriptions from ten shillings to one pound; and eight Life Subscribers have paid the increased Composition of three pounds.

EXPENDITURE.

6. The expenditure has in some cases considerably exceeded the estimate; the Journal by £115, in consequence of some important discussions, and expensive illustrations; postage by £40-this is a charge which will annually increase in proportion to the number of Members who take the Journal, and the number of copies that are transmitted to the Colonies; the Museum by £29; the Lecture Theatre by £29, owing to the necessity of extensive alterations connected with the heating apparatus; the publication of the Annual Report with the Lists of Members by £26.

7. The expense under the head of artificers has exceeded the estimate by £65. The military equipments presented by Foreign Governments have been far more numerous than had been anticipated, and it was necessary to provide for their reception; the house repairs have been greater than usual; and gas has been introduced into additional rooms.

8. On the other hand there has been a small diminution on the estimates in the items of stationery, printing, advertisements, and miscellaneous expenditure, amounting to £55; no payment has been made for the re-print of early numbers of the Journal, and no expense has been incurred for the Naval Department.

LIFE SUBSCRIPTIONS.

9. The Life Subscriptions received during the year 1861, amounting to £266, have been invested in Government Securities, £79 10s. of which have been placed in the Funds since the 1st of January. The sum of

GENERAL ABSTRACT OF THE ACCOUNTS OF THE ROYAL UNITED SERVICE INSTITUTION

Life Subscriptions

Sale of Ethnological Collection

£3,150 19 4
266 0 0
271 5 6

69 8 4

Printing Pamphlet (Description of the Siege of Sevastopol)

Total Expenditure

Cash repaid to Agents, and United Service Institution Western India

21 0 0

£2,969 6 4

17 0 0 615 15 6