British East India Company 2nd Scinde Irregular Horse Cavalry Carbine Original Items

Original Item: Only one available. After crushing the Baluchistani Forces in the Indian State of Scinde on March 24th 1843, the British commander, Sir Charles Napier sent a one word message to Queen Victoria and the Directors of The East India Company in London: “PECCAVI”

Now part of British history this message, taking a lead from Julius Caesar’s “Veni Vidi, Vici”, meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered” referring to Roman Britain translated from the Latin means

“I HAVE SINNED”. Perhaps not the cleverest remark to make to the very straight laced Victoria.

In fact, it was a stunning series of victories culminating in The Battle of Hyderabad, the capital, where fewer than 2,500 British troops supported by 3,500 others defeated almost 30,000 of the Ameer of Scinde’s finest warriors. General Napier was knighted for his success and granted over

$300,000 in 1843 dollars, several million today!

Having absorbed Scinde, today part of Pakistan, into the British Empire in 1843 the East India Company raised it’s own Scinde Units most notably two Companies of the “Scinde Irregular Horse” in 1846.

IMA is pleased to offer the only example we found from our Nepal cache purchase; adopted in 1846 this is a magnificent percussion saddle ring cavalry carbine fitted with two rings, London proofed, almost certainly made by “Garden of 200 Piccadilly, London” according to David Harding in his wonderful “Small arms of the East India Company 1600-1856” Volume 2 pages 520/521.

This rare Cavalry Carbine from Nepal originates with the fleeing Mutineers of the Great Sepoy Rebellion (Indian Mutiny) of 1857/8. (Both 1st and 2nd Scinde Irregular Horse Companies revolted in the uprising, together with multiple other Sepoy Regiments in Northern India)).

By agreement with England the Nepalese supplied 12,000 troops to assist the British put down this uprising and were well rewarded for doing so. Many Mutineers fled India and crossed into Nepal and by Treaty with England the Nepalese disarmed these Rebels and were permitted to retain their weapons provided they hanged every Mutineer that came into Nepal. Not surprisingly the Nepalese kept the confiscated weapons but allowed these “new immigrants” to settle in Nepal who then became the ancestors of today’s Nepalese “Indian” minority population. We should however note that unlike most other arms from the Nepal cache this carbine has no native markings, only English.

Offered in truly terrific condition complete with brass furniture and trapped swivel ramrod, this is assuredly one of the rarest of all marked Cavalry Carbines from the Victorian era making it worthy of the finest collections..

Overall length is approximately 37″.