384 
DESIRABILITY OF THE ADVANTAGES RECENTLY 
OBTAINED BY VETERINARY SURGEONS IN 
THE ARMY AT HOME BEING EXTENDED TO 
THOSE IN INDIA. 
India, January 16, 1860. 
Gentlemen,— Allow me, through the medium of your 
pages, to suggest to the veterinary surgeons of Her Majesty’s 
Indian army the desirableness of presenting a memorial to 
Government, in order to obtain the extension of the advan¬ 
tages of the recent warrant to our service. It is much to be 
regretted that we have no head to our department, or any¬ 
thing corresponding to the Principal Veterinary Surgeon of 
the British army. If we wish for anything, we must ask 
for it ourselves, as there is no person to represent us. 
Why should we not draw up a petition at once, get the 
signatures of all who are interested in the matter, and for¬ 
ward it through the proper channel? The surgeons of the 
Indian army have done this, and I think the veterinary sur¬ 
geons may safely follow their example. According to the 
present state of things, a veterinary surgeon of Her Majesty’s 
British army out here, of five or six years’ service, may rank 
senior to one of Her Majesty’s Indian army of nineteen 
years’ service ! This is hardly fair. Again, one of fifteen years’ 
service in the former may rank senior to a man of thirty 
years’ service in the latter. It is rather humiliating, too, to 
know that a young beardless lieutenant of eighteen can take 
precedence of a veterinary surgeon of ten years’ standing. 
By the new warrant this anomalous state of things is quite 
changed. 
Surely we who serve the fifteen (at least) best years of 
our lives out in this detestable country can, with all fair¬ 
ness, ask to be placed on the same footing as the veterinary 
surgeons of the British army. 
Trusting you will give this a corner in the Veterinarian , 
I am. Gentlemen, 
Yours very truly, 
A Subscriber. 
To the Editors of the ‘ Veterinarian .* 
