183 
THE EASTERN CAMPAIGN. 
A CHAPTER OF ODDS AND ENDS. 
By Thomas Walton Mayer, M.R.C.V.S., Royal Engineer 
Field Equipment. 
It was at the close of a hot and sultry day in June, 1855, 
that I found myself moving away from the great metropolis, 
as fast as in these days of rapid locomotion steam could take 
me, en route to Marseilles and thence to Constantinople, to 
take mv share with others in the great events which were 
going on in the East. In a few short hours I was safely 
located in the capital of France, where I purposed to remain 
three or four days. It is not my intention to entertain your 
readers with a description of Paris, but, in the course of my 
short sojourn there, I found time to pay a visit to the Vete- 
rinary School at Alfort, which I consider as deserving of a 
remark or two. The contemplation of buildings, erected 
and maintained by Government for the prosecution of veteri- 
nary science and the advancement of our art, could not fail 
to excite in my mind a feeling of regret that in England, where 
the value of horses and cattle exceeds that of any other 
country in the world, no such noble establishment exists. 
That it should have been left to the patriotic feelings of a few 
individuals on the one hand, and to private enterprise on the 
other, to effect that which in other countries is considered 
the duty of the nation at large, is to some extent to be 
regretted. Hence our Veterinary Colleges of London and 
Edinburgh cannot be placed on a level with that of Alfort, or 
most other Continental schools, for style of building or for 
conveniences for teaching. At Alfort you are struck with 
the completeness of the design, as well as with the order and 
regularity with which everything has been carried out for the 
comfort and convenience of all : from the professors down- 
wards, even to the stable-boys, each has been thought of 
and cared for. Nothing has apparently been left undone 
that can ensure the comfort of the pupils, and especially in 
so far as their board and lodging are concerned. Proper 
regulations are likewise made for their study, recreation, and 
moral discipline. Thus order may be said to reign through 
the whole college. 
At the time I visited the institution, the students’ dinner- 
hour had nearly arrived, and when I entered the dining-hall 
I was much struck with the appearance it presented, and 
