CIRCULAR No. 4.—W. Cancelling CIRCULAR No 22.—W.

Admiralty, 8th Feb. 1867.

(MEDICAL OFFICERS OF THE NAVY.)

My Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, having had under their consideration the Rank, Pay, and Position of Naval Medical Officers, are pleased, under the authority of Her Majesty's order in Council of 6th July, 1866, to establish the following regulations:—
1. Staff Surgeons to be placed on a separate list, and promotion to that rank to be open to Officers for distinguished or special service, although 20 years' on full pay may not have been completed.
2. Surgeons specially promoted to be Staff Surgeons before serving 20 years, are to have 16s. 6d. a-day half pay.
3. The whole time served on full pay as an Assistant Surgeon to be allowed to Surgeons to qualify for the rank of Staff Surgeon, provided the examination for Surgeon is passed before the Officer completes 10 years' service.
4. The pay of Surgeons and Staff Surgeons to increase by periods of four years instead of five years as at present.
5. In order to put Naval Medical Officers on the same footing as Army Medical Officers, in respect of allowances in hospitals at home and abroad, they are to receive the following money allowances in lieu of provisions for themselves and servants, and for fuel and light:—

	At Home.	Abroad.
	£	£
Inspectors of Hospitals	85	130
Deputy Inspectors	67	112
Staff Surgeons and Surgeons	53	112
Assistant Surgeons	39	108

All other allowances for provisions to cease.
In cases where Medical Officers draw provisions or fuel from public stores, they will be charged for the same at cost price.
6. The scale of travelling allowances, extra pay, lodging money, and compensation for losses, to be fixed for Naval Medical Officers according to their relative rank with other Naval Officers.
7. In regard to Cabins; to meet the requirements of the Service it is necessary that the Senior Executive Officer and the Staff Commander, or Master, should have the Cabins placed most advantageously for the performance of their special duties; with these exceptions, Medical Officers are to have cabins according to their relative rank in the Service; Cabins will be allotted to Assistant Surgeons.
8. Staff Surgeons to be placed on the same footing as Commanders with regard to servants.
9. A Staff Surgeon to be appointed to all Flag Ships bearing the flag of a Commander-in-Chief on a foreign station with an allowance of 5s. a-day in addition to his established pay.
10. The periods of retirement by age to be fixed as follows:—

Surgeons and Assistant Surgeons at	55 years of age.
Staff Surgeons	60 "
Inspectors General and Deputy Inspectors General	65 years of age.

11. Assistant Surgeons at home, after completing their time for examination for the rank of Surgeon, may be granted two months' leave of absence on full pay, on condition of their resuming their studies at a Medical School or Hospital.
12. To place Staff Surgeons on an equality in rank with Surgeons Major in the Army, they are to rank with Commanders according to date of commission.
13. Officers in command of Her Majesty’s ships must, on all occasions, whether on shore or afloat, take rank and precedence of Officers placed under their command. A ship must always be represented by an Executive or Combatant Officer, after whom all Officers are to take precedence according to their relative rank.
14. The Pay of Naval Medical Officers to be increased in accordance with the following scale:—

*Provided he passes his Examination before 10 Years' Service.
†Or on Promotion.

15. Naval Medical Officers to be permitted to retire after 20 years' service, on Full Pay, but the rate of Half Pay awarded to Officers so retiring not to exceed five-tenths of the full pay to which they may be entitled from length of Service.
16. As a special reward to Officers of long and good service who, owing to the comparatively small numbers of the Inspectorial Ranks, have not been promoted to any higher position than that of Staff Surgeon, such Officers of the rank of Staff Surgeon as have served for 25 years on full pay, to be allowed the half-pay of 1l a-day, on being compulsorily retired at 60 years of age, or retired on medical survey.
17. My Lords will consider, and publish hereafter, the manner in which it may be found most advisable to assist Naval Medical Officers, in their professional education after examination and admission into the Navy.
The New Scale of pay to come into operation from the 1st January, 1867; the other arrangements, including the increased allowances in Clause 5, from the 12th July, 1866, the date of Circular No. 22.

By Command of their Lordships, Henry G. Lenox.