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RATION

Volume 17 · 117 words · 1815 Edition

or RATIAN, in the army, a portion of ammunition, bread, drink, and forage, distributed to each soldier in the army, for his daily subsistence, &c. The horse have rations of hay and oats when they cannot go out to forage. The rations of bread are regulated by weight. The ordinary ration of a foot soldier is a pound and a half of bread per day. The officers have several rations according to their quality and the number of attendants they are obliged to keep.—When the ration is augmented on occasions of rejoicing, it is called a double ration. The ships' crews have also their rations or allowances of biscuit, pulse, and water, proportioned according to their stock.