REPORT OF CAPT. GEORGE B. M'CLELLAN. 



249 



The minister of war may authorize the minimum to be reduced ^", provided the general 

 conformation and qualities of the animal are something remarkable. 



The government provides each officer with two horses ; if an officer keeps the same animal 

 7 years, it becomes his private property ; he may have an unfit horse exchanged by applying to 

 the inspector general at the jjeriod of the general inspection, provided the inspector decides that 

 the horse is really unfit for service. 



Captains and field officers are all allowed 2 government horses, and forage for the regulation 

 number above two. 



But little can be said in favor of the appearance of the French cavalry horses ; those of the 

 heavy cavalry are either heavy, slow, and awkward, or else are long legged, and have too much 

 daylight under them ; the light cavalry horses must be better than they look, for they appear 

 unable to do their work, yet they manage to get through with it. The horses at Saumur are 

 generally excellent ; and those of the African chasseurs are exceptions to the rule ; they are 

 entire Arabians, and are generally very good. 



RATIONS OP THE MEN. 



The normal ration in the Crimea was : 



One lb. 10^- ounces of bread, or 1 lb. 3|- ounces of biscuit ; 1.05 ounce of rice or beans ; 2.1 

 ounces of the Chollet prepared vegetables ; 8| ounces fresh meat or salt beef, or 7 ounces of salt 

 pork ; 0.44 pint of wine, or 0.11 pint of brandy. 



-— ^-1 £ 



IS" 



Coffee and sugar were issued extra, 

 and the other parts of the ration were 

 changed according to circumstances. 



In the cavalry the messes consist of 

 5 men each ; each mess having its own 

 cooking utensils, which the men carry 

 by turns, strapped to the saddle. These 

 utensils consist of the marmite, re- 

 presented in elevation and plan by 

 fig. A; thegamelle, fig. B; thebidon, 

 shown in elevation and jilan of top in 

 fig. D ; the frying pan, fig. C ; the 

 small gamelle, fig. E. 



The marmite is for making soup ; 

 the bidon merely to bring water for 

 cooking purposes ; the gamelle as a 

 dish out of which they eat. Some- 

 times the small gamelle is substituted 

 for the large one ; in this case each 

 man has a small gamelle; the fig. (E) 

 represents 3 small gamelles carried by 

 means of a strap ; each small gamelle 

 has a tin cover, which is countersunk, 

 and has a ring as a handle : the cover 

 is attached to the gamelle by a light 

 chain. 



32 O 



