1865), welcomed the veteran home, 'after a career which would have entitled a Roman general to a triumph.'
Having given this somewhat imperfect sketch of the changes in the Indian Army directly brought about by the events of the Mutiny, it may not be out of place to carry our thoughts backwards, by tracing briefly the rise of the military forces of the three Presidencies, in order that the difference between our military position under the Company and under the Queen may be clearly appreciated. It must be remembered that, for military and administrative purposes, British India has up to the present time been divided into three great political sections — Bengal, Madras, and Bombay; and that the Native Army of India has always consisted of three portions corresponding to the three Presidencies. This separation into three distinct armies was the natural consequence of the original foundation of separate settlements and factories in India; each of which retains to the present day its own separate history and traditions.
Of the three Presidencies, Madras is the oldest. The first armed force in this Presidency was the little garrison of Armagon on the Coromandel Coast, consisting of 12 guns and 28 soldiers. In 1644 Fort St. George was built and garrisoned by 100 soldiers, and in 1653 Madras became a Presidency. In 1748 the various independent companies of factory guards at settlements on the coast were consolidated into the Madras European Regiment. In the following year
