I839-4 - .' VISIT TO BIRMINGHAM. 8p 



student is thankful to escape from the irksomeness of a 

 round of college, hospital, or dispensary duties, which oc- 

 cupy nearly the whole day, during an almost unbroken 

 session of ten months. It can rarely happen that each of 

 the sciences which occupy the attention of the medical 

 student is equally interesting to him, and there must always, 

 iii a large school of medicine, be some teachers who, more 

 or less, try the patience of their reluctant listeners. A natural 

 reaction, also, from the exhaustion of protracted study, and 

 the suspense and anxiety which even in the best prepared, 

 the boldest, and the most hopeful pupils, attend the antici- 

 pation of the dreaded ordeal of examination, arrays the 

 future in rainbow colours." The necessity, however, of 

 making his way in the world permitted no rest on the 

 summit of this Hill Difficulty, but compelled him to scan 

 the horizon in search of some field for his exertions. The 

 day after graduation, he tells Daniel of various openings in 

 prospect, such as a promise of lecturing in the approaching 

 winter to a provincial association at St. Andrews, an offer 

 made to the Secretary of the Board of Arts and Manufactures 

 Jo teach chemistry to the young artists, and an invitation to 

 lecture at the School of Arts, Haddington. These schemes 

 all proved visionary, but, " for the sake of practice, and to 

 be doing something," he hopes to appear as a lecturer on 

 some provincial arena in winter. 



Towards the close of the month, George, in accomplish- 

 ment of a cherished desire, attended the meeting of the 

 -British Association for the Advancement of Science, held 

 that year in Birmingham. His friend and fellow-graduate, 

 Samuel Brown, accompanied him. He had the good 

 fortune, on his arrival, to be introduced to the well-known 

 philanthropist, Mr. Joseph Sturge, and resided under his 

 hospitable roof during his stay there. 



