584 THE POSITION OF ARMY VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
indeed, a painful thing for us to witness cases like this, for, 
beyond the injustice of the act, it brands a man perhaps 
fifteen or sixteen years their senior as an undeserving 
member of his calling, and implies either a professional 
shortcoming on his part, or a punishment for bad behaviour. 
It may perhaps be asked, Why did we not volunteer for 
general service one and all? The answer is very simple. 
On our joining the service we became members of our several 
funds—in Bengal the military fund, in Madras the medical. 
There was no choice in the matter—it was compulsory; and as 
we waxed in years, and took to ourselves wives, we many of 
us had sunk large sums in these funds towards making pro¬ 
visions for ourselves and families at the time we were called 
upon to elect. The question w’as asked if we carried the 
advantages of our funds with us, but, being replied to in the. 
nesrative, we had no other a,lternative but to remain in statu 
quo. The younger members had only paid small sums to 
their funds, and the loss to them was comparatively nothing 
compared with the limited time they need serve in India. 
Good heavens, gentlemen ! is this justice to men who have 
exiled themselves from their country and kindred ? No, it 
is not; nor can it ever have been contemplated so to treat a 
body of officers whose only fault lies in their misfortune of 
belonging to the local Indian army. 
I could adduce further arguments, and show other causes 
supporting our grievances, but wmuld rather leave them to 
be brought forward by others, who I trust will not grudge 
the little trouble it Avill give them to do so. Let them 
remember the words of ‘ Junius,’ which I quote from 
memory:— 
. . . ' That the liberty of the press is the true palla¬ 
dium of the civil, religious, and political rights of an English¬ 
man,” which, by the way, has only lately been conceded to 
military men in India. 
I fear I have drawn this paper to a length beyond the 
limits allotted to a grievance which I trust may not be con¬ 
sidered entirely selfish. I address myself to royal and local 
army veterinary surgeons, and to my professional brethren 
generally, whose pen I hope will espouse our cause, as did ‘ 
that of many eminent medical professors and practitioners in 
behalf of naval surgeons with success. 
We have taken as our motto, “ Vis iinitafortiori Let us, 
then, practise it, and, as typical to our adopted crest, I sub¬ 
scribe myself 
India, June 8, 1869. 
Centaur. 
