THE BKISTOL PEKIOD 91 



year each, and naturally the question of the financial 

 position of their colleges was a subject of frequent 

 discussion among the fellow-travellers on the Peruvian. 

 By the end of the voyage it had been determined to 

 bring the matter up at the first meeting of principals, 

 which then arranged should be held in Cambridge 

 during the ensuing Christmas vacation. In a letter to 

 his father, dated 4th January. 1885, Ramsay thus 

 described what took place : 



" I was at Cambridge yesterday and attended a dinner of the 

 Principals of all colleges like ours. There were present (begin- 

 ning from north and coming gradually south) Peterson of 

 Dundee, Garnett of Newcastle, Kendall of Liverpool, Bodington 

 of Leeds, Hicks of Sheffield, Jones of Cardiff, and myself. We 

 had a very pleasant dinner and discussed common subjects with 

 great interest till a very late hour. They put us all up in St. 

 John's College. As I started the idea, they put me in the chair, 

 but it wasn't the least formal, but quite social. The men are 

 queerly divided, for three are professors of physics, two of classics, 

 and myself a chemist, besides one of philosophy. We talk of 

 having it yearly and I think it will be carried out." 



The question of Government aid was duly brought up 

 but had a hike-warm reception from some of the chief 

 provincial colleges and the matter dropped, but at the 

 next meeting at Christmas, 1885, it was again discussed. 

 In view, however, of the fact that the members included 

 representatives from the three Welsh colleges who 

 already received grants, and that the three important 

 colleges at Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds held aloof, 

 it was determined by the remainder to call a meeting 



