ON THE ARMY VETERINARY DEPARTMENT. 547 
and located in the places where regiments are usually quar¬ 
tered ; and who have thus had an opportunity of seeing the 
various corps of cavalry, with their veterinary surgeons, pass, as 
it were, before them in yearly succession. I have, I say, heard 
many of those, who may be considered competent witnesses, de¬ 
clare, they have seen such men attached to regiments of 
cavalry as have made them feel ashamed of their profession— 
such men as they could not even think of introducing to their 
own families! 
Can we, then, wonder that this pursuit, which from its inte¬ 
resting utility and importance ought still to be rising in respecta¬ 
bility, has now fallen into comparative neglect and discredit, 
even in the army ? This, it must be confessed, is much to be re¬ 
gretted ; but, for the cause , wR -must look to the fountain head . 
If the well be unclean , how can it be expected the water will flow 
pure ? If the stream arise muddy at its source , so will it con¬ 
tinue to run in its course. These are the natural consequences 
of a corrupt or a bad system; and this must be amended. The 
Augean stable must be cleansed. 
That the veterinary appointment in the cavalry has, in fact, 
fallen into comparative neglect and insignificance (for every 
thing is by comparison), we may infer from the late warrant, 
“ regulating and amending the pay and allowances of officers,” 
dated 30th July of the present year, where we find his Majesty 
has been graciously pleased “ to improve the pay and advan¬ 
tages” of several classes of officers, and very materially those of 
the medical department of the army, most condescendingly ex¬ 
pressing' a wish to rew ard the officers of each class “ in proportion 
to their length of actual service respectively.” Unfortunately, 
however, for us on this occasion, we appear to have had nobody 
to advocate our cause—no one to urge our just claims to some 
further consideration; for we not only derive no advantage 
from the new' order of things, but, I am prepared to shew r , we are 
thereby left in a much w orse condition than we w ere before; yet 
I can scarcely think this w as intended. 
I find no fault with our not being allowed the option, as here¬ 
tofore, of retiring on half-pay at twenty years’ service; for it is 
now worded, “ unless five of these years have been passed 
abroad.” But when a man has spent so much of his time, I may 
say, all the best years of his life , in the service, he ought, surely, 
to expect a comfortable retired allowance. In this respect, 
I repeat, I have no hesitation in saying, the late regulations have 
placed us in a far worse situation than we were before. A man 
can only be induced to devote his w hole life and attention to the 
service from the expectation of some reward—some bonus held 
