ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS. 363 
of the art he is pre-eminent — namely, in the examining horses 
on purchase. No horse has so good a warranty as when it 
has been passed by Mr. Field, and I can safely say from my 
own knowledge., that he shows no fear or favour, and that he 
would pay no more regard to a friend or a customer, when 
giving his opinion, than he would to the most perfect stranger. 
There are certain dealers who entirely decline sending their 
horses to him, and they say, “ If you want to send the horse 
to Mr. Field, you can’t have him, for he will be sure to find 
some fault with him.” Now I would beg to recommend 
gentlemen who get that answer not to buy, for it is no evi- 
dence that Mr. Field is wrong, but it shows how few sound 
horses there are in the world. When we remember the great 
fatigue horses have to undergo, the alternations of heat and 
cold to which they are exposed, and the ill usage and cruelty 
to which they are often subjected, we may be sure that many 
diseases will be handed down to their progeny, so that the 
reason why so many that pass through Mr. Field’s hands are 
declared unsound, is, as I have said, because there are so few 
sound horses in existence. Let a man undergo the same 
examination that a horse undergoes in Mr. Field’s yard, and 
I am sure there is not one that would pass through the ordeal 
(laughter), not even if he had to be passed for the army. 
It is not in his profession only that Mr. Field is distin- 
guished, for he holds a high official position in his parish, 
one of the most populous in the metropolis, namely, 
Marylebone. That is, no doubt, a high honour, and one which 
I am quite sure Mr. Field fully appreciates. Then if you 
take Mr. Field in his private life ; in his character as a country 
gentleman, he is distinguished by the greatest liberality and 
hospitality, and by his marked kindness to all around him, 
especially to the poor. I am sure then, you will cordially 
join with me in drinking his health, and long life to him. 
The toast having been drunk, 
Mr. Field , in replying, said he felt deeply the honor which 
had been paid to himself and the profession, by the presence 
of the Duke of Cambridge, and that he was proud of the 
good opinion which His Royal Highness had expressed of 
him. He thanked the Chairman for the flattering terms in 
which he had introduced the toast, and the gentlemen pre- 
sent for the cordiality with which they had received it. He 
concluded by proposing the health of the Chairman. 
The Chairman responded, and proposed “ The Royal College 
of Physicians, and the Royal College of Surgeons.” 
Mr. Solly acknowledged the toast. He said, the Royal 
College of Surgeons had not only always endeavoured to do 
