492 
MILITARY VETERINARY POLITICS. 
raged feeling, cast upon his own resources to support himself and 
family, which he humbly submits to your honourable House is as 
unmerited as it is dishonourable and unjust. 
Your Petitioner, as an officer in the public service, and having 
been deprived of his position in the Army through the oppressive 
conduct of his superior officer (also in the public service), most 
humbly prays that an inquiry may be instituted by your honour- 
able House into the truth of the allegations which he has made, 
and adopt such other proceedings as to the wisdom of your honour- 
able House may seem just. 
And your Petitioner, as in duty bound, will ever pray. 
George Johnston, 
late Veterinary Surgeon 6th Dragoon Guards. 
The annexed comments on the foregoing Petition are extracted 
from The Times, 10th Aug. 1847. 
“We are fully sensible that it is at all times a most dangerous 
thing to meddle with the discipline of the army, or in any way to 
interfere between a commanding and a subordinate officer. There 
is much which would appear to be characterized by unnecessary 
harshness, if a question between two civilians were at issue, 
which, when we come to take into account the indispensable neces- 
sity of preserving the discipline of the forces in full vigour, may 
be not only necessary, but actually praiseworthy, from a superior 
to a subaltern officer. Some cases there are where no necessity 
can be shewn for acting with unflinching rigour and standing upon 
the extreme punctilios of discipline, which yet should be passed 
over without notice from the public, for the sake of preserving 
the general rule. We are no friends to habituating subalterns and 
soldiers to look to another tribunal than that of the Horse Guards, 
where their grievances and their disputes are most properly ad- 
judicated upon, 
4 Legibus antiquis castrorum, et more Camilli,’ 
according to the rules of the British service, and the customs esta- 
blished by the Duke of Wellington. 
“There are cases, however, in which we feel justified in depart- 
ing from our general line of conduct in this matter, and whenever 
an occasion shall arise in which either subaltern or soldier can 
shew that he has been treated with great and unnecessary harsh- 
ness, and it appears to us that no evil consequence can arise, 
no ill precedent be established, by bringing his case before his 
countrymen, in order that it may be thoroughly sifted and under- 
