officers of the Madras army; to which, it is but justice to say, they were greatly goaded by the proceedings of the Civil Government, at the head of which was Sir George Barlow, who had been appointed Governor of Madras on the recall of Lord William Bentinck.
At the close of the first Mahratta war, extensive retrenchments had been ordered by the Governor-General, and these included considerable reductions in the military expenditure of Madras, which were naturally unpalatable to the army of that presidency. The difference in the allowances between the Bengal and Madras establishments had also been long a subject of discontent with the latter, which was embittered by a jealous feeling at what was considered undue partiality in the assignment of certain commands to King's instead of Company's officers. But the great grievance was the abolition of the "Tent Contract," in virtue of which, officers commanding native corps had hitherto received a permanent monthly allowance, in cantonments as well as in the field, during peace or war, on condition of providing suitable camp-equipage for the soldiers of their regiments when required.
During the government of Lord William Bentinck, Colonel Monro, the Quartermaster-General, had been directed to draw up a report as to the propriety of abolishing this allowance, which he accordingly did; and, on the strength of the opinions expressed in that report, instructions were issued by the Supreme Government at Calcutta to Sir George Barlow, who in the interim had succeeded to the government of Madras, for the abolition of the "Tent Contract," which he carried into effect by a general order, dated May, 1808.
It happened unfortunately, as the result proved, that when Sir George Barlow was appointed Governor of Madras, Lieutenant-General Hay McDowall, of his Majesty's service, was nominated by the Court of Directors Commander-in-Chief, in succession to Sir John Cradock; but they departed from long-established precedent, by not appointing him to a seat in Council – an exclusion devoid
