the same, and we eagerly pressed forward on its receipt. Fairfite had made us all previously shake hands with him and promise if a row took place to follow wherever he led, notwithstanding the presence of any individual whatever we might come across. It was not long before we were all in the heart of the Fair, and being recommended to keep as much as possible out of sight, we broke up for the time into three or four smaller bands, and visited the shows, circuses, and other entertainments in succession, getting out of one exhibition and into another with great dexterity, and conducting ourselves in the meanwhile with perfect regularity, so that for perhaps nearly an hour our presence in the Fair did not attract the attention we feared, and the proprietors of the various establishments to which we lent our patronage reaped an uncommonly rich harvest by our fees for admission. I thought at one time the whole affair was about to pass quietly over, but an unfortunate incident suddenly brought on a complete row. It happened in this wise, as we had seen the interior of most of the shows and were anxious to hear what the Cheap Jacks had to say and behold the out-door arrangements of the Fair generally, our party stopped to listen to the chatter of a Cheap Jack, a regular Dr. Marigold in his way, who amongst his other goods produced a set, comprising knife, fork and spoon. "Now," said he, "lcok what I'm going to give you, I'm going to give you this lot for a shilling, that is for ninepence, or if you don't like that suppose we say sixpence." None of the audience had as yet opened their mouths, and as his eye caught the sight of our red coats he said. "What not one offer of sixpence from all those sojers, why if one of them bought the set to ornament his knapsack he'd get made a corporal in a week." This sally told against us, and the crowd laughed as heartily as it always does on such an occasion. Now one of our party he was a John and I grieved for the class to which I belonged-it seems did not relish being the subject of merriment for Mr. Cheap Jack and his rustic admirers, and having in his hand the remains of an orange, which like a John he had been sucking, threw it at the orator and caught him on the mouth just as he began to renew his eloquence. This time the crowd laughed at him not with him, and he lost his temper in a moment. He had not seen who threw the orange but knew it came from one of the knot of cadets, and getting his steam up he commenced abusing the foremost one in particular, and threatening us all generally in a tone of peculiar significance. Indeed I inferred from the man's manner and speech that a mutual understanding existed between others as well as us. Unhappily the cadet pi ched upon was a hot-headed Irishman named Brayding who at once warned up at being wrongfully accused, and then got thoroughly excited by the threatening language addressed to him. As he could use his tongue very freely, he met his opponent's torrent of words with some Irish witticisms that quite prevailed in the favour of the by-st in lers and the fellow soon found himself beaten with his own

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weapons. This humiliation maddened him, so that he jumped from his platform and sprang towards Brayding at whom he levelled a tremendous blow with a cudgel he had caught up from amongst his wares. The blow luckily for Brayding fell only on his shoulder and really seemed to calm him, indeed some of us seeing him draw back a step or two began to think he was cowed, when with a rapidity that took us by surprise he strode forward and floored his adversary like a professional. It was so suddenly and neatly performed, that a few moments elapsed before we could all understand what had happened, then the prevailing opinion was circulated amongst us in a whisper of three words "now for it." Although knocked down, the vendor of cheap wares was not stunned and before many seconds was on his feet again; but before he had time to resume operations, five or six fellows in the crowd rushed up to us and roughly demanded what Brayding meant by knocking the man down."Stand back," was the answer, or you'll go down too." They did not seem quite inclined to incur the risk of such treatment, and the disturbance might have terminated even then had not some drovers arrived on the scene, who began declaring that "them cadets deserved a good hiding and that they had been playing the mischief with them cattle again." This increase in the number of our foes, combined with the eloquence of the drovers reassured them so, that they renewed the dispute and acted more menacingly than before. At last it came to blows. One of them struck one of our party across the face with a rod, and a moment after we were all engaged pell mell. Their numbers equalled ours, for we had had only about 20 on the spot and they had also the advantage of physique being all full-grown men, whilst most of us were mere striplings. I was particularly sorry to notice too that the row resolved itself into red-coats versus black ones, as the drovers, sight-seers and strangers, all made common cause against us, and

we

were soon outnumbered and driven down the main street towards the station, despite our spirited resistance. Spirited it was indeed, for everyone of us laid about hun heartily, nevertheless, I believe we stood well to get half killed when Fairfite and the head quarters of the division came out of a show in rear of our opponents, and seeing from the raised platform how matters stood, ran to our rescue and by taking the enemy in rear created a diversion in our favour. It was fortunate indeed for us that they came up, as most of our subdivision were the worse for action. I had myself a moment before received a stinging blow on the sword, or say stick, arm which I felt for a week afterwards, and which disabled me so that I could only swing my weapon awkwardly in the left hand, but as I chanced to get a new antagonist opposite to me at the next minute I escaped further maltreatment, for the fellow evidently thought I was left-handed and that any rashness on his part might bring an oddly directed blow to him which he could not guard, and so deferred his attack till too late. The arrival of

Fairfite and his party soon changed the aspect of affairs. They fought their way to us very quickly and sent the enemy flying in all directions, but even when the junction had been effected we made no great show in the way of numbers, and it became our object to get up our reserves, for although the Fair was now clear enough in our immediate vicinity, yet a little higher up we saw the enemy mustering in force, preparatory to attempting to drive us out of Black water. Before they were ready however, we were joined by the remainder of our division and Whitey's party, with Blackey's Brigade still in reserve, for they, poor fellows, with a self-denial worthy of all praise, had not yet entered the fair but remained outside smoking their pipes, until they received word that their services were required. Fairfite now dispatched a John to tell them to move lower down along the backs of the booths and either join us or take the enemy in flank as he came forward. The poor John sent with this message unfortunately fell into the enemy's hands, who forthwith began thrashing him spitefully, and Fairfite seeing this instantly ordered us to advance and recapture him. We effected our object but an awful shindy ensued. Blackey's brigade came in in the nick of time, and for a quarter of an hour or so there was nothing but shouting, fighting, arms swinging and sticks flying, booths upset, stalls overthrown, and the greatest confusion imaginable. Eventually we overcame the enemy and they retired, but our number of disabled men was very great indeed, as compared to theirs on whose skins our blows did not make half the impression they wrought on us. Sergeants Stepshort Tunwaite, Heavitree and a lot of others were up by this time, and were busily engaged in taking down the names and numbers of those they knew and in making their best efforts to get us away; but little heed was paid to their remonstrances, for in reply to their advice and persuasion they were only told that "it was no use talking for we had promised to stick to each other." A winding-up fight would now no doubt have taken place had not a field-officer in uniform arrived from the college, and he with a number of officers belonging to the senior department, who were in plain clothes, got us out of Blackwater before further mischief could ensue. The bond that united us was now considered broken, and as darkness had set in we made the best of our way to college. That night we had nothing to disturb our slumbers but the exciting thoughts of the day's amusement; but when we awoke next morning, the general opinion was expressed that "it would be queer if there would not be a worse row to-day than there was yesterday." And so it proved as will be seen hereafter.

OUR MILITARY ESTABLISHMENTS IN THE WEST INDIES.

As there have recently appeared in the United Service Magazine several articles touching the merits and defects of the West India Regiments, it may not be unsuitable to make a few remarks upou the general utility of our military system in the West Indies.

It may be taken for granted that, with the exception of a few points held for strategical reasons, there can be but two objects in maintaining expensive garrisons in our Colonial possessions, firstly for the purpose of repelling foreign aggression, and secondly for preservation of internal tranquillity. Now with two exceptions to be referred to hereafter, all our West Indian Stations are islands, and therefore so long as England remains Mistress of the Sea, foreign aggression is an impossibility and there is no need of a military force to guard against it; if unhappily the command of the sea should ever be lost, were there ten times as many troops in the West India Islands as at present, they would be simply of no use; for with the exception of Antigua, where as a matter of course we have neither troops nor fortress, aud of St. Lucia which has been given up as a military station, there is not one defensible place among them. A single gunboat with rifle command could in a few hours lay in ruins the most important towns in all the Islands, without the possibility of a shot being fired at her in return; for instance, Kingston the chief town of Jamaica, Nassau of New Providence, Bridgetown of Barbados, Port of Spain of Trinidad, George town of Demerara, and Belize of Honduras. Port Royal, Jamaica, our only dock-yard in the West Indies-so called it must be presumed because there is nothing like a dock in the whole place-certainly mounts a whole lot of guns "monté" en barbette, but has neither shelter nor accommodation for the men who would have to work them; and as Kingston could be shelled without approaching the batteries of Port Royal, and as troops could be lauded almost anywhere round the coast, the use of the fortifications of Port Royal are not very apparent.

or

Barbados is similarly situated, only it has no pretension to forts, nor in fact to be defensible in any way whatever, the other islands are not worth mention. So much for the islands, but two of our possessions in this part of the world, although classed with the West Indies, are situated upon the main land, viz. Demerara, British Guiana; and British Honduras. The former of these is quite rich and powerful enough to take care of itself in the event of any trouble arising with the Indian tribes on its boundaries, but though it was, alone a dozen years back, troubled with some rather serious internal disturbances it has never suffered from external aggression. British Honduras is differently placed, to begin with it is the most insignificant of Colonies, and secondly it is generally

governed by men who are making their first experiment in administration, and whose minds are strongly excited by the title of Commander-in-Chief which is attached to the office of Govenor. It is singular but certainly true, that the power of disposing of an armed force, however small it may be, exercises a remarkable fascination. over the imagination of civilians, and they never rest till that power is an accomplished fact, which generally happens in this wise. On the frontiers of British Honduras are some tribes or rather families of miserable half starved Indians, and it sometimes happens that, impelled by famine or by their natural theft, some of these poor wretches cross the River" Hondo," our boundary, and carry off a cow; instantly the soul of the Govenor is inflamed with martial ardour. The colony is proclaimed invaded, ships are chartered, and troops sent up to the scene of action, of course by the time they arrive there is not a vestige of an Indian to be seen, they have eaten their cow, and gone on their way rejoicing. The troops return to their quarters, the Governor writes a flaming dispatch to the Colonial Office, and the officer commanding the troops another. equally flaming to the Horse Guards, and if all goes well the Governor gets a C.B. and the promise of a better Government, and the officer commanding gets his brevet, and is able to record in his War Services, "That he commanded the troops during the distur bances in the Northern district, for which he received the thanks of H.R.H. the Field Marshal Commanding-in-Chief," (Vide Hart); and finally as playing with soldiers, even on a limited scale, is costly amusement, a Bill is sent into the Imperial Government for three or four thousand pounds to pay the expenses. This used to be the invariable routine, but as the Home Government has lately grown stingy and says the colony must pay the expenses of any such pleasure parties, for the future we shall hear no more of British territories being invaded by the Indians.

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So much for the use of troops in the West Indies for the purpose of repelling foreign aggression. Let us now consider them as a means of preserving internal tranquillity. It might reasonably be supposed that communities which have so far risen in the scale of civilization as to have houses of Assembly, Legislative and Executive Councils, and all the paraphernalia of responsible government, would be capable of providing for their own internal economy; but, as anyone who is conversant with the West Indies is quite aware that the whole affair is a ludicrous caricature of Constitutional Government, the Imperial is still in some measure compelled to look after the Island executive.

It is generally admitted that it is most inexpedient for the Military to come into collision with civilians, and therefore in disturbances soldiers are never called out except in cases of absolute necessity, and so, to guard against the possibilty of a most improbable eventuality, there are maintained in the West Indies, two batteries. R.A., two European and three West India Regiments with all the