xii. J LIFE IN ST. ANDREWS. 407 



influx of younger men into our body, have been favour- 

 able circumstances for a remodelling of our finance, and 

 I have reason to hope some of the main difficulties are 

 now past. 



' Before Christmas I delivered four lectures on the 

 Art of Study homely, practical advice to students. 

 To-morrow I commence a short course on Climate, a 

 subject with which I am familiar. They will be alto- 

 gether oral, delivered twice a week, and they impose 

 no feeling of burden on me, since even if from bad 

 health I should have to interrupt so short a course 

 which I hope is not likely no one would be academi- 

 c-ally or professionally a loser by it.' 



* You will not expect any general news from our nearly 

 peninsular and out-of-the-way abode. A curious circum- 

 stance occurred last night. In the course of an incredibly 

 short time a heavy sea began to beat on the coast, it 

 being all the time a dead calm. The fishing-boats which 

 had gone to sea a few hours before, ran in wherever they 

 could get shelter, with much peril and some loss. 



* The thermometer is at 20, or lower, every night. It 

 is now three weeks since this severe snow-storm and cold 

 commenced.' 



To the LORD JUSTICE CLERK (!NGLIS). 



'EDINBUBGH, April \Qth, 1861. 



'Oo considering the conversation which by your 

 Lordship's kindness I had with you on Saturday, I feel 

 desirous of adding some explanatory statements. Though 

 they will probably not affect your Lordship's views on the 

 merits of the questions discussed, they may possibly place 

 in a juster point of view than I fear I succeeded in doing 

 my own position with reference to the affairs of the 

 University and Colleges at St. Andrews. 



'From tin- liiiH- of my first acquaintance with tin- 

 duties and responsibilities of my new office, the state of 

 tli- finances and debt of the United College attracted 

 my anxious and I may say alarmed attention. Any 

 services which I c<>ul<l hope to r -nl r t< tho College 



