ARMY VETERINARY SURGEON IN INDIA. 
609 
in India. I have read with much interest the article in your 
number for June by ‘‘The Ghost of an Indian Vet./^ the 
only fault in his letter, in iny opinion, being that he took by far 
too favorable a view of the case, as I shall endeavour to show. 
I sincerely trust you will use your able pen in our behalf. 
The unfairness of not allowing the Warrant of July, 1859, to 
have effect in India, is at once so apparent that it requires 
no remarks from me to explain it. I hope and trust no can¬ 
didates will be found for army appointments until the 
^WVarrant^"’ is brought to bear in India. Speaking from ex- 
' perience, I say a veterinary surgeon in India is much worse 
off than in England. It will be a little difficult to make this 
apparent to people in England. As explained in your June 
number, a veterinary surgeon, after five years’ service, ac¬ 
cording to the Royal VVarrant of 1859, is eligible to promotion 
to the rank of first-class veterinary surgeon, which gives him 
the relative rank of captain and 12,?. Qd. per diem. In India, 
as at present managed, a veterinary surgeon gets English 
pay at 8s. and the relative rank of a cornet for the first ten 
years of his service; of a lieutenant for the next ten years, 
and after twenty years’ service he ranks as a captain, thus 
losing fifteen years. Now, on what grounds can this be de¬ 
fended ? and who will enter the army to be treated in this 
way ? I am convinced that, were the true state of things 
more generally known, no veterinary surgeons wmuld come 
to India. Now I will try to explain how “ The Ghost of an 
Indian Vet.” has taken too favorable a view of the case, and 
endeavour to show that the young veterinary surgeon would 
not have a balance of seventy rupees to pay for his 
horses, &c., but wmuld, on the contrary, be about ten rupees 
to the WTong side of his account, if living with the greatest 
economy. 
The pay and allowances of a veterinary surgeon are 
Rs.289 15a. lOp.; palkee allowance,'Rs.30; total, rupees 
319, annas 15, and pices 10. His expenses will be at least 
as much as follows: 
Mess bill, mess subscription, band subscription, &c. &c. 
Servants ...... 
Keep of horses, at least .... 
Butler’s bill for fuel, lights, &c. &c. &c. 
Instructor in native language 
House rent ..... 
150 0 0 
60 0 0 
50 0 0 
30 0 0 
15 0 0 
25 0 0 
Total expenditure per month 
„ amount of pay 
330 0 0 
319 15 10 
Deficiency 
. Rs.lO 0 2 
