Life of General Sir Hope Grant Volume . 1; With Selections from His Correspondence - Brossura

Sir James Hope Grant

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1231031794 ISBN 13: 9781231031797

Casa editrice: Rarebooksclub.com, 2012

Riassunto

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1894 Excerpt: ...The bullet was enveloped in a patch of cloth, which was smeared with a mixture of wax and oil, and the natives had used it without offering any objection. In 1856, however, the improved Enfield rifle was introduced, the projectile for which was lubricated with grease to facilitate its passage down the bore. Ere long it was rumoured that this grease was composed of the fat of pigs and cows--substances regarded with equal horror by Hindoos and Mussulmans. The latter would consider themselves defiled by touching with their lips--and, according to the old drill, the end of the cartridge was bitten, not twisted ofi'--fat of the abhorred hog; while the former would have suffered loss of caste had they thus desecrated the venerated cow. The danger of arousing in this manner the reli FIRST OUTBREAK. 1 7 5 gious native susceptibilities had to some extent been foreseen and provided against by the Ordnance authorities at Calcutta; for in a circular it was enjoined that when applying tallow to be handled by sepoys, that of sheep or goats only was to be employed, swine's or cow's fat being carefully excluded. It may be added that, as a general rule, the ammunition was not sent out from England ready greased; but that, when the contrary had been the case, the composition applied was formed of five parts tallow, five parts stearine, and one part wax--containing, therefore, beef-fat, but none from pigs. The first open expression of discontent took place at Dum-Dum, one of the schools of musketry for instruction in the use of the new rifle. On 23d January 1857, a low-caste Lascar asked a Brahmin sepoy for a drink of water out of his lotah, or brass vessel. The latter refused on the score of caste, whereupon the Lascar tauntingly replied that all would now be red...

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Rarebooksclub.com
• Data di pubblicazione: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1231031794
• ISBN 13: 9781231031797
• Rilegatura: Paperback