306 EDINBURGH VETERINARY SCHOOL, &C. 
wished to tell him I had prepared “ another bantling” for pub¬ 
lication ; but seeing the columns of the increasing Journal over¬ 
flowing with matter, and having, as I said before, some reason to 
be dissatisfied with my letter to Mr. Percivall being shut out of 
the April number, I have thought it high time to “hold hard” and 
“ to pull upnor do I promise to contribute more until this 
matter be settled*. 
Lately, indeed, I may have been writing more than enough. 
Some of my friends hint they think me a little tainted with the 
cacoethes scribendi; and there may be something, perhaps, in 
the air of Edinburgh infectious, or favourable to the production of 
such a complaint: for although Scotland may be justly called a 
“ frigid clime,” yet to live in the neighbourhood of Arthur’s seat 
is to be in the land of inspiration. The warm-hearted hospi¬ 
tality of Ireland may, perhaps, cure this thriftless phantasy, 
and drive away all such “ serious intentions.” 
Before quitting Scotland, however, I wish to say something of 
the Edinburgh Veterinary School. Mr. Dick certainly deserves 
great credit for having established, in the northern capital, a 
course of Lectures—in short, a school where he teaches the 
anatomy and diseases not only of the horse and the ox, but the 
rest of the inferior animals most useful to man. And he has the 
more merit in this undertaking, as, with the exception of the 
Highland Society, he appears to have received but little as- 
* The “settlement of this matter” is easy enough. We had devoted 
eight pages of the u increasing Journal” for April to our friend Mr. Castley’s 
very interesting paper on “ Acute Inflammation of the Feet.” It was 
actually printed when his second communication arrived. Had that like¬ 
wise been inserted, we must have neglected some other friends, whose 
contributions had precedence in point of time, and of whose composition 
nothing had appeared in the earlier part of the number. In doing this we 
should have given just cause of offence. If we had inserted two papers 
from Mr. Castley, and none from others, we should have found it difficult 
to exonerate ourselves from the appearance of partiality, and even the 
reality of it. As to the accusation of taking “ no notice whatever of Mr. 
Castley’s communication,” if he will kindly observe the quantity of matter 
which is crammed into the four or five last pages of the April number, he 
will see that we had only room for the short sentence of “ Notices to Cor¬ 
respondents in our next/ In this he was included ; and with this the 
choicest correspondents to every journal must occasionally be content. 
We duly estimate, and so do our brethren, the communications of Mr. 
Castley. They have lately materially contributed to increase not only the 
bulk but the value of our Journal; and we think we can answer for it, that 
the good sense and good feeling of our friend will induce him no longer to 
“ hold hard.” The office of editor is not always an enviable one : he has 
a great many to please, and he finds it very difficult to please all; but 
while we are guided by two principles—gratitude to our contributors, and 
duty to the profession and the public—we are convinced that we shall not 
give permanent offence to any one.— Edit. 
