292 
ACCOUNT OF THE DINNER. 
all Scotland, so that science there had not greatly advanced. 
Having, however, heard something upon the subject, he asked a 
bag-man to make inquiries for him, and to see if there was really 
such a place. At that time, 'also, he had become acquainted with 
a medical student with whom he used to talk upon medical sub- 
jects, and who asked him if he would like to hear a lecture. In 
those days he (Professor Dick) knew little of the classics, and, as 
he had understood that the lectures were delivered in Latin, he 
did not hope to obtain a great deal of information from them. It 
happened, however, that he went to hear the late Dr. Barclay, 
whose name, although unknown here, was then spoken of in Scot- 
land as one of her best anatomists. After hearing him, he had 
the impudence to think that it was possible that he himself might 
one day deliver a lecture on veterinary science : he accordingly 
proceeded to provide himself with books, and one of his first 
text books was “ Taplin’s Farriery Improved.” [A loud laugh.~\ 
After that, he not only attended Dr. Barclay, but also Dr. Gregory, 
the celebrated medical professor, who, instead of Latin, spoke in 
good broad Scotch : and so he went from one to the other, until he 
found that, by these means, he had acquired some sort of know- 
ledge. 
Now, it is well known that Scotchmen are somewhat inclined to 
get knowledge wherever they can pick it up, and are, moreover, a 
little selfish ; and it so happened that, one day, during Dr. Bar- 
clay’s course of lectures upon comparative anatomy, and, when 
he was going on about dogs and cats, it occurred to him that 
it might be a grand thing to get a horse. He mentioned it to the 
Professor, who was delighted with the offer. Now, it so happened 
that he, shortly before, had met with a Shetland pony that had 
happened to have dislocated both his hind fetlocks in attempting 
to cover a big mare. These had been reduced ; but in a fortnight 
afterwards the same thing happened again. The consequence was, 
that there soon became compound dislocations, with sloughing. 
The beast was soon brought in, its throat cut, and the Doctor 
proceeded to lecture upon it ; and thus he got his first lecture upon 
the comparative anatomy of the horse. He was, however, forgetting 
the predicament in which he stood, for he was away from home, 
