MARCHES of 'soldiers iu India, from their prolonged character, require to be performed in a manner as if permanently in the field. Sir John Malcolm mentions (ii. p. 158) that Aga Muhammad Khan reached Isfahan on the third day, travelling 250 miles. Captain Cunningham mentions (His tory of the Sikhs, p. 225) that Colonel Steinbach with his Sikh regiment marched 200 miles in twelve clays, which was equal to 16.6 miles daily. When General Sir Frederick Roberts marched from Kiibul to Kandahar against Ayub Khan, the distance of 318 miles was accomplished in twenty three days, including two halts. Thus the average distance per marching day was 15 1-7th miles, or, including the days of halt, 13 19-23ds per day. Such a feat, considering the nature of the country, and that the force moved in a single column, has never been exceeded. The great difficulty, as usual, was the transport; but the Afghan war has • initiated a reform of a most important nature, by largely cutting down the amount of baggage, without which it has been hitherto thought that an Anglo-Indian army could not take the field.
The march commenced on August 9. Ghazni, a distance of 97i miles, in which the Zamburak pass (7000 feet) and the Sher -i-Dabau pass (9000 feet) were crossed, was reached on August 15. For this part of the march, an average distance of 13 13-14th miles was covered daily. The remaining distance of 134/ miles was covered in eight days, or 16 13-16th miles daily. 10,148 troops, 8143 native followers, and 11,224 animals, including cavalry horses, composed the column ; the daily supplies for all these were drawn from the country after arrival in camp. Food was distributed and cooked with fuel (difficultly pro curable, and brought in from a distance) during the eight days' march from Ghazni to Kalat-i Ghilzai. The longest marches on any one day were 20 miles, from Ghazni to Zerghalta, and 21 miles, from Mukur to Panjak.
During the Indian Mutiny, the average number of camels, including those for the mess, was certainly not less than 21 per officer ; for the 'march from Kabul to Kandahar the allowance was one mule per officer, and one for mess pur poses for every eight officers. To each European soldier was allowed 34 lbs. of kit, and to each sepoy 20 lbs., including camp equipage. The tent accommodation. was also much restricted, yet to carry baggage and food there were required 1589 yaboos (large Kabul ponies), 1244 Indian ponies, 4510 mules, and 912 donkeys. Moreover, on the road there were purchased 35 yaboos, 1 mule, 208 donkeys, and 171 camels. Of these there perished before the arrival at Kandahar, 410 yaboos, 106 Indian ponies, and 217 mules.
In the Kabul and Kandahar march, in addition to the daily ration, a tin of pea-soup was issued to every two Bfitish soldiers daily, from August '18, which was commonly taken before the march commenced ; lime-juice was regularly issued. Extra rum was issued three times during the march to all British and native spirit-drinkers, and an extra ration of meat to those who did not drink rum, with a meat ration for all followers whenever sheep could be obtained.
In the beginning of the 19th century, General Dovetou left Jauluah with a rissala of cavalry, a wing of a European regiment, 4 companies of rifles, an infantry corps, and in two dais and one night reached Bassein, 60 cos distant, having allowed three halts for refreshments.
During the campaign against the Mahrattas in the year 1804, the army, under General Lake, made a tremendous forced march of 54 miles in 30 hours, surprised Holkar and his cavalry at Farrakhabad, and routed them with great slaughter. The British had marched 250 miles in 13 days.
During the Sikh war in 1843, when the Gover nor-General was pushing on by forced marches with the grand army, with the view of relieving Ferozpur, on the 16th he advanced 30 miles, the train of camels extending in a line almost from the point of departure' to that of arrival. On the following day 10 miles more were traversed, the troops suffering from want of water. Betwixt the 11th and 18th, in the course of 'six days, they had marched over a distance of 160'miles, along roads of heavy sand, the incessant tell scarce leaving them leisure to cook their food.
It may be interesting to refer here to other marches. General Crawford marched with the, 43d, 52d, and 95th Regiments of Foot to rein force Sir A. at the battle of Talavera, in July 1809 ; the brigade marched 62 miles in 26 hours, carrying arms, ammunition, and pack,• nn in all 'a weight of between 50 and 60 lbs. per man. In the Franco-German war, Dr. Roth, who served as chief medical officer with the Saxon army, mentions that the 18th division marched, from October 29th to November 17th, 551 German miles, which is equal to 260 English miles, in nine days, nearly 18 miles a day ; while on December 16th and 17th, in the various manoeuvres about Orleans, they marched 54 Eng lish miles. They were very heavily accoutred, and the roads were bad. A company of a regiment of Chasseurs of MacMahon's army, after being on grand guard, without shelter or fire, during the rainy night of August 5th-6th, started at three in the morning to rejoin its regiment in retreat on Neiderbronn, after the battle of Weissenburg. It arrived at this village at 3.30 in the afternoon, and started again for Phalsbourg at six o'clock. The road was across the hills and along forest tracks, which were very difficult for troops. It arrived at Phalsbourg at 8.30 in the evening of the next day. The men had therefore marched part of the night of August 5th-6th, the day of the 6th, the night of the 6th-7th, and the day of the 7th till 8.30 p.m. The halts were eight minutes every hour, from 3.30 to 6, one hour in the night of the 6th-7th, and 2/ hours on the 7th ; altogether, including the halts, the march lasted 411 hours, and the men must have been actually on their feet about 30 hours, in addition to the guard duty on the night before the march. The exact distance is not known, but, considering the extreme difficulty of that rugged mountain country and the bad weather, this is perhaps the most toilsome march on record.—Bombay Times.