MEMOIH OF 1)1! WEIGHT. S7 



GrEQRQE Baker, as a baronet and philosopher of tifgh 

 rank. Dr Duncan has just been with me, and is to 

 rail a meeting of the Council for to-morrow; and of the 

 whole College, if the deliberations are to our purpose. 

 As matters stand, I have great hopes that a singular 

 compliment will be paid to this distinguished and wor- 

 thy individual." 



He again writes to Dr Garthshore on the 18th : 

 " I have great pleasure in announcing to you that 

 yesterday, at a full Meeting of the Royal College of 

 Physicians, your worthy and learned friend Sir 

 George Baker was unanimously elected an hono- 

 rary fellow in room of John, Earl of Bute, deceased. 

 Sir William Forbes, Dr Monro, Dr Gregory, 

 and Dr Duncan, took the most active part. Dr 

 Gregory, our secretary, acquaints Sir George of his 

 election, and I beg to congratulate him and you on 

 our success. I have one more feather to offer. If ac- 

 ceptable to Sir George, I shall have him proposed as 

 a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh." 



The idea had now for some time been entertained 

 of raising the necessary funds, by subscription, for re- 

 building the University of Edinburgh, and Dr 

 Wright engaged in the promotion of the underta- 

 king with his accustomed zeal and activity. The re- 

 mittances he obtained from his friends in Jamaica were 

 of very considerable amount ; but, about this period, 

 it appears that a defalcation arose to the amount of 

 L. 11,000, from the failure of a bank in a more dis- 

 tant settlement, where the money had been deposited. 



In the course of his correspondence with his bro- 



