432 
ANNUAL MEETING. 
It is scarcely necessary to say that this communication was 
received with very profound regret, because it not only annulled 
all that had been effected in the direction of simplicity and 
unification, but threw back the whole affair into its former 
unsatisfactory condition, and too clearly showed that any 
further efforts at mediation on the part of the Council would 
utterly fail. 
An extract of the above, along with a letter, was sent by 
desire of the President to the Principals of the Edinburgh 
and Glasgow Veterinary Colleges, requesting to have their 
opinion on the subject ; to which the following replies were 
received : — 
Vetebinaby College, Edinbubgh ; 
August 2nd, 1870. 
To the Secretary , Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons , 
10, Red Lion Sqttabe, London. 
Dear Sir, 
I beg to acknowledge the receipt of your com- 
munication of the 26th ultimo, and in reply beg to state, for 
the information of the President of the Royal College of 
Veterinary Surgeons, that paragraph fourth referred to re- 
lates to a proposal made by me to Professor Spooner. The 
proposal was to the effect, that the various Veterinary Colleges 
should enter into a binding agreement “that no pupil should 
he permitted to present himself for matriculation examination 
at one College if he has been rejected at the corresponding 
examination of either of the other two Colleges until six 
months after said rejection.” And in addition that the 
Boards of Examinators of the Royal College of Veterinary 
Surgeons and of the Highland and Agricultural Society shall 
not receive any student for examination w T ith a view to obtain 
the diplomas or either of them which these Boards have 
hitherto been in use to grant, except upon production of the 
necessary Certificate or other evidence to instruct, that before 
commencing his course of veterinary instruction at any of the 
Colleges referred to the student has undergone and passed 
the preliminary examination, unless under certain exceptions 
in 5th paragraph of accompanying printed document. 
I regret very much that the Royal Veterinary College has 
not agreed to the proposal which I made to them on the above 
terms, but on the contrary decline to enter into any binding 
agreement, with the view of having the preliminary examina- 
tion conducted in a manner calculated to obtain the confidence 
of the profession. 
In these circumstances it has been Resolved, “ That the 
Edinburgh Veterinary College shall institute a preliminary 
