ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS. 365 
(Cheers). Gentlemen, His Royal Highness has been pleased 
to say, that he attaches great importance to the services of 
our profession, as practised by those members of it who are 
appointed to the army. I am sure that he speaks the senti- 
ments of his heart when he makes use of that expression ; 
and I am satisfied that we generally, and especially the 
Veterinary Surgeons in the army, feel deeply the compliment 
that he has been pleased to pay the profession. It is, indeed, 
gratifying to us, after having heard of the gallant deeds of 
His Royal Highness in the battle-field, to find that, no 
sooner does he appear in this country, than he is first and 
foremost amongst the aristocracy to stand forward in support 
of the arts and sciences. All whom I am addressing must 
be well aware, that as teachers our duty is an onerous one ; 
at the same time we think ourselves fully repaid wffien those 
who have been instructed by us show by their conduct in 
after life that those inculcations which they received while 
under our tuition are remembered by them. Mr. Solly has 
stated that in his office as examiner, he has been preceded by 
Sir Astley Cooper, and Mr. Liston ; and speaking of the aid 
received by us from our elder sister, the medical profession, he 
might have taken us further back than the names of those 
eminent men will lead us, for if we revert to the time when 
the Royal Veterinary College at St. Pancras w T as first insti- 
tuted, we shall find that he who stood foremost in lend- 
ing a helping hand to the then infantile art, w r as the ever 
to be remembered John Hunter. (Cheers.) Since that period 
we must all admit that the most eminent members of the 
Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons have ever been 
ready to lend their aid towards elevating us to that posi- 
tion to which we have a right to aspire, and for which most 
of us have been endeavouring, I am sorry to say, hitherto in 
some measure in vain, to acquire. Unquestionably, the 
charter of incorporation which was obtained in the year 1844, 
is to be viewed as a stepping-stone to assist in placing us in 
that position ; and it is my sincere belief that, the Professors 
in both the Schools, although at present some little discord 
prevails between them and the corporate body, are anxious 
to assist the Council in conducting the affairs of the corpo- 
ration in a way that will lead to the desired end — the ad- 
vancement of Veterinary science. And I cannot doubt, that 
meetings like the present will have the effect of bringing 
about that unanimity without which it is perfectly useless 
to expect anything like progress. In vain may we 
hope, while we are opposing each other, to obtain that re- 
spect and confidence from the public, to which the nature 
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