The Sun.
London, England, 1854-01-10 00:00:00

THE ARMY IN INDIA.

GENERAL ORDERS BY THE MOST NOBLE THE GOVERNOR-
GENERAL OF INDIA IN COUNCIL.

"Fort William, Oct. 28, 1853.

" The Most Noble the Governor-General of India in
Council, having had under consideration the improve-
ment of the rations supplied by the Commissariat De-
partment to European troops, is pleased to direct, the
following rules, to take effect as soon as the necessary
arrangements can be made by the Commissariat Depart-
ment :

"1. The Government General Orders Nos. 80 and
87 of the 6th of February, 1852, are hereby cancelled,
and the daily ration of a European shall in future consist
of 11b. of bread,
,11b. of meat, 4oz. of rice, 2ioz. of
sugar, 5.7 th oz. of tea, loz. of salt, Boz. of vegetables,
and 31b. of firewood.

" 2. -The meat will be cut up into joints, and such por-
tions of the animal (such as the ribs and upper joints of
the forelegs) as are more than two-thirds bone will be
excluded from the ration.

"3. The rations of vegetables will consist of such de-
scriptions as may be procurable at the several stations
of the army during the different seasons of the year.
"4. The following rules contained in Government Gene-
ral Order No. 232, of the 9th of August, 1843, will con-
tinue in force :—The bread issued in the rations of a
soldier is to be of the best quality, and equal to that pto-
vided.for hospital diet. Mutton will be issued twice a
week in lieu of beef and in the same quantity, whenever
circumstances may admit. Coffee may be substituted
for tea in the proportion of 21b. of the former to 11b. of
the latter, whenever tea is not procurable or coffee may
be preferred and is at hand.
" 5. The ordinary tea ration will consist of one•third
of green and two-thirds of black tea, whenever circum-
stances may admit of the issue of both kinds.
"6. The Government General Order No. 85 of the
25th of February, 1848, is cancelled, and the following
course is in future to be pursued with respect to all de-
scriptions of provisions tendered by the Commissariat or
its contractors for the use of the soldier in health or in
sickness.

" 7. Whenever any portion of the rations or diet
tendered for a corps or hospital is deemed objectionable,
the option of changing them is not to be/allowed to the
contractor, but the commanding officer should imme-
diately assemble a regimental committee for the pur-
pose of inspecting them.
" 8. The committee will be composed of a field-officer
or captain as president, with an officer commanding a
troop or company, and a medical officer as members.
" 9.- The decision of the regimental committee shall
be final, and their report shoulil be at once forwarded
for the guidance of the executive Commissariat officer at
the station.

10 In all cases of condemnation of provisions, the
'6omi.nittee reports should show whether the articles are
:cloerneaLoCinferior quality only, or decidedly unwhole-
some ; and' when pronounced positively unwholesome
the provisions -are-instantly to be destroyed in the pre-
sence of the committee.

" 11. Except in the instances hereafter specified when
provisions have been condemned as of inferior quality,
the contractor will be allowed to substitute fresh rations,
and, in the event of his failing to do so within a reason-
able time, the Commissariat officer will supply the
deficiency at the cost of the contractor.

" 12. In cases of the condemnation of meat, the cost
to the Government of the rejected rations (which, if not
abiolutely .unwholesome, will be returned to the con-
tractor), together with the amount of the fine that may
be levied upon the contractor, will be paid by the Com-
missariat to the regiment, and expended, under the direc-
tion of the officers commanding troops and companies,
in the purchase of food.

"13. In the event of the rejection of bread, and a
fresh supply not being immediately procurable, flour or
soojee, at the option of the soldier, will be issued as an
equivalent, with a supply of firewood, at the cost of the
contraotor, to whom the rejected bread, if not unwhole-
some, will be returned ; 21b. of flour or soojee and 11b.
of firewood to be the allowance of each man.

"14. Under the operation of these rules it will de-
pend solely and entirely upon regimental committees to
raise the quality or the rations issued to the proper stan-
dard, and to maintain that standard.
" 15. The executive Commissariat officers of divisions
have been directed by the Commissary-General to make
a report periodically to their departmental superiors of
their having at uncertain intervals personally attended
the issue of rations ; and his Excellency the Commander-
in-Chief will be requested to cause similar reports to be
made to the military authorities by officers commanding
regiments, impressing upon them at the same time that
it is only by the commissioned officers of , regiments
being themselves particular in examining rations, and
forming their own judgment as to the quality of the
articles, without the intervention of subordinate officials,
whether regimental or departmental, that the object of
Government for the supply of really good provisions can
be secured.

" 16. This order is to be considered applicable to the
,hree presidencies."

RAILWAY TRAFFIC RETURNS.

LONDON AND SOUTH-EASTERN RAlLWAY.—Traffic re-
turn for the week ending Jan. 7, 1854 £14,268 17 5
Corresponding week last year.

Decrease in 1854............ £493 18 2
LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH COAST RAILWAY.—
Traffic return for the week ending Jan. 7,
1854 .... ....... . . ... . £8,094 10 8
Corresponding week last year 8,791 4 0
Total of the half-year to this date, 1854 8,094 10 8
Total of the half-year to this date, 1853 8,791 4 0

SCOTTISH CENTRAL RAlLWAY.—Traffic return for the
week ending Jan. 1, 1854
Corresponding week last year... . 2,694 15 4
CORSI AND' BANDON RAILWA Y. —Traffic) return for the
week ending Dec. 3L, 1853
Corresponding week last year

WATERFORD AND KILKENNY RAlLWAY.—Traffic return
for the week ending Dec. 31 (29 ..... £l47 114 1
Corresponding week last year (13 miles) 44 3 10

BREAD RIOT IN DEVONSHERE.—Crediton, which lies
about eight miles from Exeter, was on Friday night the
scene of the greatest disorder and confusion. The high
price of bread and other necessaries has for some time
past produced great discontent among the lower classes.
The four pound loaf is now Bening at 9d., while all other
articles are proportionately dear. The severity of the
weather during the past week has increased the suffer-
ings of the poor ; and that day arrangements were made
'for relieving some of the most deserving. The ordinary
number of that class requiring assistance was much
augmented by the large number of " navvies " who
are engaged in the construction of the North Devon
Railway, which is intended to join the Exeter and Cre-
diton line at this place. Thrm vn out of employ in conse-
quence of the weather, it wars feared during the after-
noon .of Friday that a disturbance was likely to take
place. Nothing, however, occurred till after dark ; but
between seven and eight o'clock a mob consisting of
upwards-of .200 men and women, armed with staves
and stones, suddenly appeared in the streets. With
great noise and disorder they proceeded to the shops of
several of the principal bakers, and demanded a sup-
ply of bread: This was of course refused, where-
upon missiles were hurled through the windows and
the mob helped themselves. In some instances the
shopkeepers heard of the approach of the rioters and
closed their shutters without any loss of time. This
precaution, however, was of little avail. The shutters
were beaten in with immense clubs, and the men seemed
determined to have all they could lay their hands* upon.
In one case, Mr. Lee, a baker, was made acquainted
with the riot which was going on, and locked his doors.
The mob, on their arrival at his house, peremptorily de-
manded that they should be opened, and as Mr. Lee re-
solutely refused, they at once broke open the door, and
carried off every loaf in the shqp. The parish constables
interfered, but they had little power with so large a body of
men. Daring the evening a messenger was despatched to
Mr. J. W. Buller, county magistrate, residing a short
distance from the town. On his arrival a large number
of special constables were seworn in ; but the rioters
appeared by that time to have been satisfied with their
plunder. Two of the principal offenders were appre-
hended and brought up this morning before the local
magistrates, by whom they were committed for trial.
Much alarm has been created among the inhabitants,
and it was feared that a similar scene would be re-
enacted on Saturday, it being market day. In the morn-
ing a body ofabout fifty "navvies" perambulated through
the market, and, after some time, congregated
around the stall of a butter-woman. One of the men
laid hold of a pound of butter, throwing down a shilling.
The woman told him the price was ls. 4d. ; but he coolly
remarked that is. was a fair price, and walked off with
it. This daring conduct had such an intimidating effect
upon the rest of the market-people that they all packed
up • their goods, and the market was cleared in a short
time. No further outrage; however, has been com-
mitted.

SINGULAR WAY OF BEFRIENDING THE POOR IN
BRUSSELS.-111. de Broukere, the burgothaster of Brus-
sels, who had lately offered, in a letter to the journals,
I to give ten sous to the poor for every visiting-card, under
a thouAand, which he should be'spared the trouble of re-
ceiving on New Year's. day, has just addressed the fol-
lowing second letter to the public press :—" The request
which I made to my fellow-citizens through the press has
been attended with the result which I had hoped for.
I have received only 74 cards, and consequently I will
have great pleasure in distributing 463 f. to the poor. I
do not reckon in the above number of cards such as were
accompanied with gifts for the poor. In that way I
have received 979 f. 50c. in money, 5,1004i10g. of coals,
200 kilog. of rice, and 30 kilog. of
_bread.'—ifictlignani.