408 THE LIFE OF JAMES D. FORBES. [CHAP. 



appeared insignificant for the time, compared to the 

 duty which I felt devolved upon, me of first ascer- 

 taining the extent of our liabilities, then the cause of 

 the annually increasing debt, and finally the means 

 of diminishing or extinguishing this, and of at least 

 putting a bar to its seemingly indefinite increase. 

 My own experience in, or aptitude for, such financial 

 arrangements were very inconsiderable. It was in every 

 respect an unwelcome task, especially as it might seem 

 to reflect more or less upon the conduct of those with 

 whom I for the first time became intimately associated. 

 To the honour of those gentlemen, I must say that I 

 received no discouragement, but the contrary, in making 

 the investigation ; but it is not the less true that the 

 inquiry, except in so far as' it was conducted by the ac- 

 countants, fell chiefly upon myself. The scheme for 

 reducing the debt by a grant from the University chest 

 and by means of a terminable annuity, to be defrayed 

 by all the Professors of the United College alike, was 

 concerted between Mr. Jamieson and myself. It was 

 ultimately acceded to by my colleagues, and also by 

 the Professors of St. Mary's, in so far as their interest 

 in the University was concerned. I had a very sanguine 

 hope that it would be favourably regarded by the Com- 

 missioners also, and that my tenure of the office of 

 Principal would have -been inaugurated by a complete 

 relief of this noble and ancient foundation from the 

 burden of debt under which it laboured, and the pro- 

 fessors from the painful conviction that they were every 

 year burdening their successors with a yet more insup- 

 portable load. 



* You will grant, I hope, my Lord, that while aiming at 

 such results, I was not actuated by personal or selfish 

 motives in feeling and expressing an anxiety about the 

 pecuniary arrangements of the University and Colleges, 

 such as I never either felt or expressed in any matter 

 affecting my personal pecuniary interest. It is easy to 

 see that if through the miscarriage of the system for 

 granting medical degrees or from any other cause the 



