JUEMOIR OF JOHN BARCLAY. 31 



COPY LETTER BY DR. BARCLAY'S STUDENTS CLASS 

 1810-1811 ON THE SUBJECT OF A PIECE OF 

 PLATE, PROPOSED TO HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO HIM. 



SIR, 



The Pupils of your Class, impressed with a sense 

 of their obligations to the zeal and ability with which 

 you have always directed their anatomical studies, 

 had been anxious to testify their feelings, by some 

 public mark of their gratitude and respect. With 

 this view, it was suggested, and unanimously resolv- 

 ed, that a Piece of Plate should be presented to you 

 in their name. 



The injudicious and unauthorized interference of 

 some anonymous individual, however, by a prema- 

 ture disclosure of their design, drew from you a pub- 

 lic and explicit disapprobation of this measure. Ke- 

 specting, while they cannot help regretting, the mo- 

 tives which led you to reject their proposal, they 

 have reluctantly deferred to your feelings and wishes 

 on this subject. They cannot allow themselves, how- 

 ever, to separate as a body, without conveying to 

 you, in another, and they trust a more unexception- 

 able form, the feelings which induced them to make 

 the original proposal. 



They are far from presuming to think that their 

 humble praise is either an adequate reward for your 

 past, or a sufficient incitement to your future labours. 

 They are convinced, that the love of science, and a 

 desire to benefit others, operate on a generous mind 

 far more powerfully than the ambition of praise, 



