502 APPENDIX. 



College, I ceased to be responsible for the omission, in its preface, of 

 the Hiuiterian introductory MS., which I had previously recommended 

 to be there published, and the value of which I had made known in the 

 Theatre of the College. 



I again addressed a letter to the Council, on the 2nd of January, 1860, 

 urging a speedy reply, and received the following : — 



" Lincoln's Inn Fields, W.C., 9th January, 1860. 



" Sir, — The Council of the Eoyal College of Surgeons of England 

 have had under their consideration your letters of the 29th of December 

 and 2nd January, drawing their attention to a passage in the preface to 

 the proposed publication of the Hunterian manuscript on Geology, which 

 you consider to involve injurious reflections upon you, and calling upon 

 them, after assuring themselves of the accuracy of the dates to which 

 you refer, to publicly acknowledge the inaccuracy of the grounds of the 

 charge of breach of confidence and duty on your part which you con- 

 ceive the preface to allege against you. 



" In consequence of your letters, inquiry has been made, and the 

 Council find that the date of your Lectures as Hunterian Professor is, 

 as you mention, inaccurately referred to in the preface, and that the 

 actual date was 1855, not 1856. 



"The Council, therefore, consider it to be due to you, as well as to 

 themselves, to express their regret that such a mistake should have 

 occurred, and to withdraw all imputations which the passage in ques- 

 tion can be considered to cast upon you. 



" They have also directed that the passage be expunged, and the 

 preface reprinted without it. 



" I beg to add that there is no such minute of the Museum Com- 

 mittee as you suppose, and that neither of the living members of the 

 Committee have any recollection of your having suggested to them the 

 propriety of publishing the manuscript. 



" Edm. Belfour, Secretary." 



" Professor Owen, fyc. SfC. &{c" 



