3 
The horses in the Italian Army do not require bails. In the whole of the six 
batteries I only saw one horse isolated. In one of the batteries I noticed that 
the beds were poor—the floor showing here and there. On asking how this was, 
they told me the time for removing the “ permanent bed” was at hand, and that 
for about a week they had been saving up their clean straw to make a good bed 
on starting afresh. 
The ration of straw in the Italian Army is 3'2 kilos = about lbs. English. 
The horses are supposed to eat a portion of this, but it is not cut up into “chaff” 
as with us. The hay ration in quarters is 3’5 kilos = about 7flbs. English. 
Although I think the system very suitable in Italy, I cannot say I consider it 
so for our own service (in England), where the stables are, as a rule, far less 
lofty, and with stalls on both sides of a stable. Greater depth than is usually 
available in English troop stables is also necessary. 
4.—The officers were most kind in showing me everything I wished to see. 
The harness and appointments are of the “ rough and ready ” type, no panels to 
the saddles, the horse blankets being folded up and placed underneath. 
The harness in the Mobilisation Stores was all quite new and seemed of very 
good quality—all black except the saddles. Wheel horses wear collars, the 
centre and lead use breast harness. The centre horses also wear breechings, so 
as to be available as wheelers. 
The Mobilisation Stores contained everything necessary for bringing the whole 
Army Corps (Artillery, Cavalry, Infantry, Train, &c.) on to a war footing. 
In the barrack-rooms I noticed that every man had his own metal washing 
basin. These they take down to the stables, and the men are not allowed to 
return to their rooms until they have washed themselves thoroughly—a plan 
worthy of adoption by us. 
HALIFAX, W.S. 
On 20th January the E.A. and E.E. gave an Evening Tobogganing party on the 
Citadel Hill, instead of on the more usual, but less private site on Collin’s Hill. 
The slide was lit up by a line of torches fixed in the snow, and near the foot was 
a huge bonfire, close to which the mess establishment dispensed refreshments, in¬ 
cluding the ever popular hot mulled claret, punch, etc. A great novelty in the 
entertainment was an ingenious contrivance to save the sliders the labour of drag¬ 
ging their toboggans up the hill; a holdfast was driven in at the top and bottom 
of the hill to each of which an 8-inch block was secured, through these an end¬ 
less 2^-inch rope was reeved, a harnessed horse was hooked-in to the rope and 
went up and down the hill, the toboggans also being hitched to the rope and thus 
getting pulled up. The system worked well except in one or two cases when 
some toboggans were nearly “ solid drawn” through the block at the top in con¬ 
sequence of their owners paying less attention to them than to their fair partners 
whom they were escorting up the hill. 
On 1st February the E.A. and E.E. gave a sleigh drive round by Hutch Vil¬ 
lage and the Point Pleasant Park. It was a great success, the night being a 
bright moonlight one with no wind. Between 30 and 40 sleighs paraded and on 
the termination of the drive 80 persons sat down to supper in the mess. 
Major Brady, Capt. Boileau and Lieut. Elliot have been travelling on short 
leave in Upper Canada, in couples part of the time, and at other times in “ half 
couples.” Collectively and individually they visited Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa, 
Toronto, Kingston, Hamilton and Niagara. 
At Kingston the Eoyal Military College was seen over and also the School of 
Instruction of the Permanent Canadian Artillery in the Tete de Pont Barracks.* 
* Where the hospitality of Colonel Cotton and his officers was enjoyed. 
