46 WILLIAM CUMING, M.D. 



Resuming now the narrative of Cuming's life, an absolute 

 dearth of records during the interval obliges me to proceed 

 Avithout pause from 1739 (when he settled at Dorchester) to 

 1752. In the latter year he obtained from Edinburgh Universit}-, 

 by his own request, a diploma, which was granted " Benevolentia 

 et Honoris Causa," he having, as I mentioned, taken his degree 

 at Rheims in 1736. Soon after an unsolicited distinction was 

 bestowed upon him. The Edinhii7-gh Evening Cojirant for 

 August loth, 1752, has the following paragraph : — "At the last 

 Meeting of the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh) Dr. 

 William Cuming, Physician at Dorchester in Dorsetshire, Son to 

 the late Mr. James Cuming, an eminent INIerchant in this City, 

 was unanimously chosen Fellow of the said College." His 

 pocket-book shows that on April 5th, 1766, he joined in a 

 petition from " Gentlemen Clergy Freeholders & Inhabitants of 

 the C. of Dorset" to the House of Commons against a proposed 

 Bill " for amending, etc., several Roads leading from y^ Town of 

 Wareham ; " and subscribed £z 2s. towards the expense of 

 engaging counsel. About two years later his attachment to us 

 was tested. On November 28th, 1768, died Alexander Russell, 

 a notable London physician, and Cuming was then invited by 

 Dr. Fothergill to take the practice vacated by Russell's death. 

 The three were old friends, and in early days had been fellow- 

 students. Fothergill was most anxious that " his Cuming" (as 

 he called his surviving associate) should be near him, but 

 neither friendship, ambition, nor the prospect of gain could 

 vanquish our doctor's fidelity to us. The next recorded event of 

 Cuming's life is his enrolment in 1769 among the Fellows of 

 the London Society of Antiquaries. The succeeding year is 

 memorable in the annals of this shire. At the summer assizes 

 of 1770 a large meeting "of the first persons of the county" 

 agreed to encourage the publication of Hutchins's "History of 

 Dorset " (a work which stands in the front rank of its class), and 

 Dr. Cuming was "unanimously requested to undertake the care 

 of it, to receive subscriptions, etc." " Hutchins" (says Cuming) 

 " was a reserved man, and but little known," whose proposals 



