APPENDIX II. clxvii 



the Presidents of the Colleges of Physicians, and of Surgeons ; many 

 of the Professors of the University ; the Bishop of Edinburgh, and 

 the Dean ; several of the best known of the Clergy of the Church of 

 Scotland, Established, Free, and of other branches ; one or two mem- 

 bers of Parliament ; more than one lady (who should have been perhaps 

 mentioned earlier on this list) well known for large views and public 

 spirit ; several well-known country gentlemen ; one or two distin- 

 guished civil engineers and architects ; and many gentlemen of 

 repute for intelligence and business qualities. 



Yery soon after the second of the promised lectures, the members 

 of the new Society began to be numbered by hundreds. By the 28th 

 of February, 500 subscribers having been enrolled, they were in a 

 position to hold their first regular meeting under the presidency of 

 Sir Robert Christison, when a permanent Council composed of many 

 of those who had from the first shown an interest in the movement 

 for example, Professor (now Sir Douglas) Maclagan and Lord Dean of 

 Guild (now Sir James) Gowans, Professor Jenkin himself undertaking 

 the duties of Consulting Engineer were appointed. And Jenkin 

 was singularly fortunate in securing as Secretary the late Captain 

 Charles Douglas, a worker as earnest as himself. It was the theory 

 of the originator that the Council, composed of leading men not 

 necessarily possessed of engineering knowledge, should 'give a 

 guarantee to the members that the officials employed should have 

 been carefully selected, and themselves work under supervision. 

 Every householder in this town,' he adds, ' knows the names of the 

 gentlemen composing our Council.' 



The new Association was a success alike in town and country. 

 Without going far into statistics it will be evident what scope 

 there was, and is, for such operations when it is stated that last year 

 (1885) 60 per cent, of the houses inspected in London and its neigh- 

 bourhood were found to have foul air escaping direct into them, and 

 81 per cent, had their sanitary appliances in an unsatisfactory state. 

 Here in Edinburgh things were little, if any, better ; as for the 

 country houses, the descriptions of some were simply appalling. As 

 the new Association continued its operations it became the role of 

 the Consulting Engineer to note such objections, hypothetical or real, 

 as were raised against the working of his scheme. Some of these 

 were ingenious enough : but all were replied to in order, and satis- 

 factorily resolved. It was shown for example, that ' you might 

 have a dinner party in your house on the day of your inspection ; ' 

 that the Association worked in the utmost harmony with the city 



