vres, was present--with the twelve 'foreign officers'[5] from
the principal armies of Europe and America, who had been invited to
attend the camp--at a march-past of the whole force of 35,000 men on
the 18th. It was a fine sight, though marred by a heavy thunderstorm
and a perfect deluge of rain, and was really a greater test of what
the troops could do than if we had had the perfect weather we had
hoped for. The 'foreign officers' were, apparently, somewhat surprised
at the fine physique and efficiency of our Native soldiers, but they
all remarked on the paucity of British officers with the Indian
regiments, which I could not but acknowledge was, as it still is, a
weak point in our military organization.

When the camp was broken up, I accompanied the Viceroy to Burma, where
we arrived early in February, 1886. Lord Dufferin must, I think, have
been pleased at the reception he met with at Rangoon. The people
generally tried in every possible way to show their gratitude to the
Viceroy, under whose auspices the annexation of Upper Burma had been
carried out, and each nationality had erected a triumphal arch in its
own particular quarter of the town.

From Rangoon we went to Mandalay, where Lord Dufferin formally
announced the annexation by England of all that part of Upper Burma
over which King Thebaw had held sway. We then proceeded to Madras,
where I parted from the Viceregal party and travelled to Bombay to
meet my wife. Leaving her at Simla to arrange our house, which had
been considerably altered and added to, I proceeded to the North-West
Frontier, for the question of its defence was one which interested
me very deeply, and I hoped that, from the position I now held as a
member of the Government of India, I should be able to get my ideas on
this, to India, all-important subject listened to, if not altogether
carried out.

The defence of the frontier had been considered under the orders of my
predecessor by a Committee, the members of which had recorded their
several opinions as to the means which should be adopted to make
India secure. But Sir Donald Stewart relinquished his command before
anything could be done to give effect to the measures they advised.

The matter had therefore to be taken up afresh by me, and I carefully
studied the recommendations of the 'Defence Committee' before visiting
the frontier to refresh my memory by personal inspection as to the
points to be defended.

It seemed to me that none