244 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
severe and bitter contest between the friends and the opponents of 
the union of the Colleges, or rather a portion of the latter, for the 
more sensible and disinterested opponents had by that time seen 
the necessit}^ of acquiescing in the union, and of either facilitating 
or not impeding the working of the University under the new 
arrangements. The malcontents, whose object was to bring about 
a dead-lock and embarrass the Universities’ Commissioners, in- 
duced a party of the students to set up the late Sir Andrew Leith 
Hay, who certainly would never have been thought of in other 
circumstances. The friends of peace and order chose Mr Mait- 
land, although — I perhaps ought to say, because — he was totally 
unconnected with this locality and district, and yet well-known 
as a man combining a cultivated mind with the aptitude for 
academic business, as well as the firmness which our circum- 
stances required. 
“ The votes of the Nations stood two to two, and the casting 
vote having fallen to me — the Chancellorship being vacant — I 
gave it in favour of Mr Maitland, although, owing to local in- 
fluence and intimidation, the aggregate majority of individual 
votes was in favour of his opponent. I need not now say any- 
thing of the abuse and threats with which my decision was received 
by many in the town, of the childish and abortive application 
to the Court of Session for an interdict, or of the violence with 
which some of Sir A. Leith Hay’s supporters attempted to inter- 
rupt the installation, and the Rector’s address. All was amply 
repaid, to me, at least, by Lord Barcaple’s great services to the 
University, in circumstances of difficulty which the authorities of 
a Scotch University have rarely, if ever, encountered — services 
which eventually gained for Lord JBarcaple the esteem of most of his 
opponents, and the lasting gratitude of the friends of the Univer- 
sity. He made the duties of his office a matter of conscience. Not- 
withstanding the demands on his time, of such a practice at the 
bar as his, he never hesitated to come to Aberdeen when required ; 
and I can safely say that no Rector in Scotland, during his three 
years’ tenure of office, has ever attended an equal number of meet- 
ings of Court and Council. His inaugural address was in a high 
degree sensible, elegant, and scholarly, but I do not remember that 
it was remarkable for anything in the topics or mode of discussion. 
