45G VETERINARY AFFAIRS. 
had not once cause to complain of insubordination or idleness; 
but their uniform attention during the lecture, and their study 
afterwards, would, however, be best illustrated by the distribu¬ 
tion of the prizes. 
The ten composing the first class were alone entitled to con¬ 
tend for University honours ; but he wished to offer to the rest 
tokens of his esteem, and incentives to continued diligence; and 
they had promised that they likewise would attend the examina¬ 
tion : when, how^ever, the hour arrived, only one of them was 
forthcoming, whether influenced by the becoming modesty of 
youth (yet that modesty could scarcely operate legitimately when 
it led to the violation of a promise), or other causes into which 
he would not disgrace himself by entering. 
He received the pupils in the class-room, and distributed to each 
five written questions, taking care that they had access to no pos¬ 
sible assistance. At the expiration of four hours he required their 
essays. On that day se’ennight they met again, and received 
five other questions relating to cattle: the first had reference to 
the horse. Each paper had then a motto appended to it by the 
author : the same motto was written on another piece of paper, 
folded, and containing the name of the writer, and enclosed in a 
little box, which was locked and the key sealed up. 
On returning home the lecturer carefully perused all the papers, 
and made a record of his opinion of their relative value. He 
then sent them successively to some veterinary friends, who had 
on somewhat similar occasions examined the prize essays; and as 
a proof of the justice of such a method of examination, all, 
without mutual communication, agreed in precisely the same 
order of merit. The examination was, therefore, conducted by 
veterinary surgeons alone, by those who alone were competent to 
decide on the merits of the respective candidates. The lecturer 
was surrounded in this institution by human practitioners of the 
highest reputation and talent, who would have cheerfully given 
their opinion ; but as he frankly told them (and to them he 
could not mean to give offence), it always appeared to him, to 
use the mildest term, to be the highest absurdity for medical men 
to determine on the competency of veterinary pupils. 
Well, sir (the lecturer proceeded), we unanimously adjudged the 
medal, and the first certificate of merit, to the motto ^‘honesty is 
the best policy,'’ which the secretary and myself, for the first time 
opening the box a little while ago, found to belong to Mr. Clapp, 
son of an old established veterinary practitioner. It was thus 
awarded, not on account of any very extraordinary development 
of talent, but because he buckled to every question, gave a very 
fair answer to each, committed himself on none, and on some. 
