590 
THE VETERINARY DEPARTMENT OE INDIA. 
Dear Sirs,— -In the Englishman, Indian paper, of the 30th 
December last year, in a short leading article, alluding to the 
Veterinary Department, sanguine hopes were held out that 
something would be done for the officers of this branch of the 
Indian Army, and it said in that article, that the Veterinary 
Amalgamation measure might overtake that for the Medical 
Service. 
If the Members of the Indian Medical Service had a griev¬ 
ance to complain of, it must be admitted by all that the 
Veterinary Surgeons have one also; but they have been silent 
as it was supposed that their Amalgamation scheme would be 
published at the same time as the new rules for the Medical 
branch of the Indian Service. They are doomed to disappoint¬ 
ment, however, as no allusion even is made to the Department; 
nor are the authorities out here aware of any changes in con¬ 
templation; either in the promotion list, or of any alterations 
in the scale of pay or pensions. 
It is now more than four years ago, since the Royal Warrant 
giving increased rank and pay to the Veterinary Surgeons of 
H. M/s British Army, was published in this country, and 
declared to be applicable to the Veterinary Surgeons of H.M/s 
Indian Army, and it stated in General Orders in the Govern¬ 
ment Gazette that the relative rank of the Veterinary Officers 
of our Army shall be as follows : 
Veterinary Surgeon on appointment as Subaltern ; Veteri¬ 
nary Surgeon First Class on promotion, as Captain; Staff 
ATterinary Surgeon on promotion, as Major. This was pub¬ 
lished in March I860, but from that date up to the present 
time, no promotions have been made, nor indeed have any 
changes taken place, and Veterinary Surgeons stand in the 
same position as they occupied previous to the publica¬ 
tion of the Royal Warrant. Even those belonging to the 
Queers Service, who have been promoted out here, received 
no benefits by their promotion to First Class, which gives 
them relative rank as Captains. At home they would get the 
same pay as a Captain of Cavalry, with quarters free, &c., &c., 
as other officers are entitled to of the same rank, but in 
India, First-Class Veterinary Surgeons draw only Cornet's 
pay under ten years’ service, and Lieutenants’ pay over ten 
and under twenty years’ service. Except in the Stud Depart¬ 
ment, Veterinary Surgeons get no Staff pay whatever, nor 
