32 VETERINARY EXAMINING COMMITTEE. 
credit before the Examining Committee; and, ere our readers will 
have received this Journal, he will have commenced an authorized 
course of instruction, in the theatre of the College, on those sub¬ 
jects so important to the pupil, and to which he will do the fullest 
justice. 
For the last time, perhaps, we have given a full, or almost verbatim, 
account of the proceedings at the dinner which usually and pleasant¬ 
ly closes the first day of the session. At no period since the com¬ 
mencement of the College has the session commenced under such 
deeply interesting circumstances. Several of the speakers well 
described it as a new era in the history of the veterinary art. 
There was not a practitioner in near or distant parts of the country 
who had not connected with the proceedings of this day the future 
character and prosperity of the profession to which he belonged, 
and who will not forgive us when we tell him, that he has almost 
verbatim the whole that passed. He will form his own opinion of 
it: we have other matter to occupy the remaining portion of our 
leader. 
We have heard, and from so many quarters as to leave no doubt 
in our minds with regard to the truth of the matter, that a letter 
has been sent by one of the members of the Examining Committee, 
distinguished by his surgical writings, announcing his retirement 
from the Examiners’ Board; and that he has, honourably to him¬ 
self, and most kindly to us, placed his retirement on the following 
grounds:—That our art has been making steady and rapid ad¬ 
vances—that there are many now among us well worthy of the 
highest consideration, and fully competent to decide on the merit 
of the candidate for a diploma, and, in fact, the only persons who 
can be competent in the new state and character of the veterinary 
profession—that it would affix an unjust and a dishonourable stigma 
on our art, and would almost necessarily lead to the conclusion 
that we were yet incompetent or unworthy, if the examiners of the 
veterinary student continued to be selected from any except vete¬ 
rinary practitioners. 
It was added by some of our informants, that this letter made a 
deep impression on the general body of the Examiners; and that, 
although it was not their acknowledged determination, yet it seemed 
