ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
213 
SPECIAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL, JANUARY 24th, 1871. 
Present : — Professor Simonds, Professor Brown ; Mr. Wil- 
kinson, Mr. Fleming, Mr. Greaves, Mr. Robinson, Mr. Harp- 
ley, Mr. J. C. Broad, Mr. Lowe, Mr. Field, Mr. Cartwright, 
Mr. Withers, Mr. Naylor, Mr. Moon, Mr. Hunt, Mr. T. D. 
Broad, Mr. Cowie, Mr. Silvester, Mr. Coates. 
On the motion of Mr. Harpley , seconded by Mr. J. C. Broad, 
Professor Brown was voted to the chair. 
The Secretary read the notice convening the meeting. 
The minutes of the last meeting were then read and con- 
firmed. 
Letters were read from Mr. Pritchard, Mr. Dray, and Mr. 
Gowing, regretting their inability to attend the meeting. 
Mr. Wilkinson . — At the last meeting of Council circum- 
stances occurred which rendered it necessary for me, in the 
view I took of the transaction, to resign my post as President 
of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. I do not wish 
to use any harsh term, and, therefore, I will select the mild- 
est I think can be applied in this case. The offence offered 
to me as president of the Royal College of Veterinary Sur- 
geons was offered to every member of the Council and every 
member of the body corporate, and I gave notice at an early 
part of the evening, when the animadversion was first made, 
that as a well-wisher to the College I could not have the 
President offended in my person, and that unless the animad- 
version were withdrawn, it would be my duty to resign my 
post at the close of the meeting. The matter then went on, 
and a repetition of the offence, as you all know, happened, and 
at the end of the meeting, after mature consideration, for I was 
thinking of the matter from the time of the first observation 
to the close of the meeting, I resigned my post as President. 
I did it with great reluctance, because I think it is a very 
important crisis, and I very much regret that I should have 
been the means of disturbing the progress of very important 
events which we have before us ; but at the same time I 
could not see that, as a gentleman, I had any alternative, 
and therefore I resigned my post. After I had left the chair 
some of my friends — and I hope I have not an enemy in the 
Council — congregated in a part of this room ; what was the 
nature of their conversation I do not know, but it led to our 
friend — for I will still call him our friend, and I will still call 
him my friend — coming up to me and stating that he under- 
stood that the reason of my having resigned was that his 
remarks had been construed by me as personal to myself. 
Now, I wish it to be clearly understood that I did not take 
