principalities; and had the attack failed, the whole country westward of the Jumna would have risen in arms – at least so far as to resume the predatory system of warfare so decidedly suppressed by the destruction of the Pindarries; but the complete and rapid triumph of Lord Combermere overawed the native chiefs, checked the disposition to revolt, and more strongly confirmed the supremacy of Great Britain throughout the East.
The reduction of Bhurtpore was the last event of any importance that occurred during the administration of Lord Amherst, whose conduct in that and the Burman contest was the subject of severe criticism amongst statesmen in England but imperfectly acquainted with the necessity under which he acted. His lordship was doubtless as anxious for peace as the Court of Directors could be, yet nearly the whole of his administration had been occupied by wars, and during a great part of this period the Anglo-Indian Army had been kept up to the enormous number of 274,000 men of all arms.
Earl Amherst was succeeded as Governor-General by Lord William Bentinck, the early part of whose administration was entirely of a pacific tendency; though, as will be seen, by no means of a character to conciliate either the esteem or gratitude of the Anglo-Indian Army; for immediately after the glorious termination of the Burmese war and the Bhurtpore campaign, he accomplished two reforms, as they were then called, galling to the feelings of one portion of that army, and detrimental to the interest of another.
The heavy expenses which had been incurred by preceding Governments having occasioned much difficulty in meeting them, new measures of retrenchment were loudly called for by the Court of Directors, while others prescribed long before, but never carried into effect, were revived and ordered to be adopted. Among these was the diminution of extra allowances long enjoyed by the military at distant stations under the name of batta.
