THE PRINCIPAL VETERINARY SURGEON. 
685 
bestowment of it on the senior cavalry veterinary surgeon, Mr. 
Cherry. Did this imply any stigma on the professors of the Vete- 
rinary College, we should he sorry that this change has taken 
place ; but there is nothing of the kind in the slightest possible 
degree. It is the removal of the direction of certain circumstances, 
connected with the management of the cavalry regiments, from 
those who, as lecturers on the anatomy and diseases of domesticated 
animals, can be supposed to know but little of the cavalry service, 
to one — the senior officer, — and whom many years of actual ser- 
vice must have made the most competent judge of the management 
of this department. 
On the principal veterinary surgeon will now devolve the duty 
of ascertaining the competence of the candidate for the commission 
of veterinary surgeon in the respective regiments, when a vacancy 
may occur. Plain common sense ought long ago to have whis- 
pered that the veterinary teacher in any school was the last man in 
the world who should have been permitted to decide on the com- 
petency of his own pupils. He might act impartially and honour- 
ably; but it would be said of him, and truly said, that he could 
scarcely be free from certain prejudices for or against certain indi- 
viduals. To an indifferent, but a competent person — a veterinary 
surgeon — unconnected with any school, should be entrusted the 
duty of reporting on the capability of the candidate. 
If this would be true when there was but one veterinary school, 
it became more essentially necessary when there were rival schools. 
It would not be listened to for a moment that the professor of one 
of these schools should be permitted to sit in judgment on the pu- 
pils of both. We would take it for granted, that he would en- 
deavour to act honourably; but he could not be free from powerful 
prejudices, of which he, himself, would scarcely be conscious : or, 
at all events, he would render himself liable to be accused of acting 
partially, and the reputation of his school would suffer, were his 
motives as pure as light. This is a false position in which the pro- 
fessors of the rival schools ought never to be placed, and from 
which, as men of proper feeling and of honour, they would be glad 
to retire. On these grounds, we are free to confess we are glad 
that such a change has taken place. We would not have so false 
a stigma rest on either school. Let every thing regarding our pro- 
fession be open and honourable. 
We enter fully into the feelings expressed by Mr. Mayer in a 
subsequent letter. Still we are not quite satisfied. We will take 
it for granted that the senior veterinary surgeon will honourably 
discharge his duty to the best of his power; but we would rather 
have some associate and controlling influence connected with his. 
We would have a control over certain prejudices for or against 
VOL. xil. 4 U 
