THREE BROTHERS — -GOODSIE. 109 



to be renewed annually ; the curator to work five 

 hours a-day in the museum, and five days each week." 

 He was engaged to prepare a series of dissections 

 illustrative of comparative anatomy and physiology, 

 with a set of additional specimens of surgical patho- 

 logy. As the emoluments were greater, and the 

 position more desirable, than that which he occupied, 

 he at once accepted Mr. Syme's offer. The salary of 

 £150 a-year for the best man in Scotland, and perhaps 

 the only man throughout the length and breadth of 

 the land fit for the work, will sound strange to Enolish 

 ears ; the fault rested not with Mr. Syme or his col- 

 leagues, for the funds of the University were not at 

 their disposal. The College of Surgeons received Good- 

 sir's resignation on the 16th May, and unanimously 

 recorded " their perfect satisfaction with the great 

 ability, faithfulness, and zeal with which he had dis- 

 charged his duties, and of the very great and manifest 

 improvement which the collection had undergone since 

 it had been placed in his charge." His brother Harry 

 succeeded him in the curatorship, and entered on his 

 duties on the 31st July of the same year. It is worthy 

 of remark, as illustrative of a family trait and special 

 ap1 itude, that when Harry Goodsir vacated the curator- 

 ship in April 1845 for the Franklin polar expedition, he 

 was succeeded by a, younger brother, Archie, who acted 

 for some months till the college could find a suitable 

 person — Archie himself being benl on studying at 

 Leipsic and Vienna ; bo that John, Barry, and Archie 

 Goodsir successively occupied the position of curator 



