ARMJIY
327
but it was not till 1740 that his successor, Dumas, formed
a military force consisting of a body of European infantry
and 4,000 to 5,000 Muhammadans armed in the European
fashion. The brilliant Swiss officer, Paradis, was one of
the first to make the fullest use of this instrument of war;
and his successes led Robert Clive to follow the example of
the French, and to. give to the native soldiery a discipline
they had never before experienced.
The military forces of each British Presidency were at Origin of
first necessarily separate and distinct. Communication by the resi-
Pommunication by dency
sea or land was long and tedious; and although in early days armies.
the Bengal establishment was subordinate to that of Madras,
it was soon placed on an independent footing. The geo-
graphical situation of the first settlements thus gave rise to
local or Presidency armies which were practically independent
of each other. The gradual growth of those forces up to the
reorganization of I796 was very similar in character. The
nucleus of the white portion of the army in India may
be found in detachments of soldiers sent out from England,
supplemented by European mercenaries, deserters, and
prisoners of war from other foreign settlements, and sailors
from the Company's ships. Small bodies of European
cavalry were raised; the infantry were formed into companies
and battalions; while artillerymen were sent from home
and recruited locally, some companies of Royal Artillery
being transferred bodily to the service of the Company.
The 'European Infantry' of Bombay eventually became
the Ist Bombay European regiment (Fusiliers); in Madras
(I748) the European companies were formed into a battalion,
ultimately to be the ist Madras European regiment (Fusiliers);
while in Bengal the companies were similarly regimented
and became the ist Bengal European regiment (Fusiliers).
Swiss companies, 'French Rangers,' formed from the Irish
and other regiments of Lally's force after the capture of
Pondicherry, and, later, Hanoverians, supplemented the
ordinary 'European infantry.' Gradually Royal regiments
were sent out to India, the 39th Foot being the first to
arrive in 1754: four years later many of the officers and
men were received as volunteers into the Company's army,
and several King's regiments were transferred to that service.
Before the battle of Plassey (I757) Clive had set to work Clive's re-
to improve the native troops. The peons and watchmen, form's
armed and equipped in the native style with swords and
targets, bows and arrows, lances and matchlocks, had dis-
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