256 DUTY, &C. OF INDIAN VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
medicines furnished on indent from the public stores, for the use 
of a mounted corps, is to be paid by the veterinaiy surgeon be¬ 
fore the commanding officer, who will cause him to be reimbursed 
by officers commanding troops, apportioning the amount of the 
charges to be adjusted by each, and collecting it through the re¬ 
gimental staff. 
All indents prepared by veterinary surgeons are to be in due 
form, and to be countersigned by commanding officers of corps 
respectively, previous to transmission to the medical board. 
As I shall not have space for the whole of the information re¬ 
lative to the Indian army, I must beg to continue or conclude 
it in my next.—I will now relate, if you think proper to insert it, 
an anecdote that may be amusing, and will serve to shew you a 
touch of the old school. About two months ago I was sent for 
to see a horse belonging to G. M. Gifford, Esq., who was re¬ 
siding with a friend about five miles from this town : after ex- 
amining the horse and prescribing for him, we adjourned to the 
house, where, over a bottle of wine, he related to me a circum¬ 
stance which had occurred to him some time in the month of 
October last. Mr. G. was on a visit with a friend near Laun¬ 
ceston ; and a pack of hounds in the neighbourhood, though 
they were harriers, induced him to have a day or two’s sport with 
them ; however, Mr. G.’s horse was, unfortunately, on one of 
the days, not well, and he declined riding him: the gentle¬ 
man with whom he was staying did not like to see Mr. G. dis¬ 
appointed (for I assure you, Messieurs Editors, Mr. G. is one of 
the right sort, and will get across a country if there be any 
chance—excuse me digressing a little); however, Mr. G.’s friend 
lent him a horse, and out he went. The hounds soon found and 
on a good scent, for they went at a slapping pace, Mr. G. clear¬ 
ing every thing he came to with his friend's horse in good style ; 
but on coming to a bank composed of stone and mud, the horse 
did not clear so well with his fore legs as he ought to have done, 
and down he went, neck and crop, pitched upon his head, and 
died immediately; Mr. G. finishing his day’s sport with the 
pleasure of carrying home his bridle and saddle between three 
and four miles. During the recital of this anecdote a servant 
announced the arrival of Mr. -, farrier, who lives not quite 
one hundred miles from Launceston ; he w r as shewn in, took a 
seat and some grog ; and Mr. G. continued his tale, at the con¬ 
clusion of which, Mr. G. asked the Launceston farrier (w ho, by 
the by, is in great practice) several questions as to what was the 
cause of the horse dying so soon, but nothing satisfactory could 
be elicited : how ever, after moistening his clay with two or three 
glasses of rum and water, he began to open more freely. Mr. G., 
