NAM.1989-09-1-1

Single barrel .65 in percussion carbine, issued to the Scinde Irregular Horse, 1850 (c) Manufactured by Garden, 200 Piccadilly, London. Floral decoration on the trigger guard and butt plate tang. With ramrod. Lieutenant John Jacob was appointed to command the Regiment on 5 Jan 1842. At the time it was poorly armed with musket-bore carbines of obsolete type. Jacob was interested in the development of weapons and had these smaller, lighter carbines privately made by Robert Garden of Piccadilly. They incorporate German silver furniture never found on pattern weapons. The new carbines were a great success in the irregular warfare of the region. Reporting on the action at the Zamanee River in 147, Lieutenant Merewether, second-in-command of the regiment, commented: 'The destructive effect of our little carbines, used in the hand at close quarters, was quite terrible to behold'. In spite of their effectiveness these carbines were replaced by double-barrelled weapons in 1850.'