ROYAL COLLEGE OE VETERINARY SURGEONS. 365 
tioiis are behind the teaching of the colleges.” He understood 
that to mean that the examinations, as at present conducted, 
did not comprehend precisely the subjects, or did not go to 
the precise extent to which those subjects were taught at the 
colleges by the various professors; and so far from feeling 
aggrieved at this statement, he at once accepted it as an un¬ 
questionable truth, for the reason that, referring to his own 
experience as an examiner, he was quite aware that the 
examinations were not at all up to the level of the teaching. 
Presuming that any examiner were to examine up to the level 
of the teaching given at the colleges in the present day upon 
the subjects of chemistry and materia medica, for example, 
he had no doubt at all in his mind that nearly every pupil 
sent up would be rejected. 
317'. Lawson said he certainly had taken the very same 
view of the subject as Mr. Wilkinson, and thought it a per¬ 
sonal affront to the present members of the Court of Exami¬ 
ners to be told that they were behind the teaching of the 
present day, and that they should be chosen from the teachers 
alone. 
317'. E7'7ies observed that he did not exactly know what 
Mr. Wilkinson had been driving at. In his (Mr. Ernes’) 
suggestions he had given tlie greatest credit to the examiners, 
but he had stated that the great fault was in their not being 
allowed sufficient time. 
P 7 'ofessor Smo7ids said he looked upon the published 
account of the proceedings of the Council as anything but 
a satisfactory description of what took place. He would go 
further than that, and say he thought the time had arrived 
when they should have a report drawn up by the Secretary, 
and submitted for revision to a sub-committee before it 
was sent to the periodicals for publication. The sub-com¬ 
mittee should consist of the President and Treasurer, and one 
member of the Council. With regard to the subject alluded 
to by Mr. Wilkinson, he (Professor Simonds) had looked 
carefully through the report, and it did not appear that any¬ 
thing had gone out to the profession which would militate 
against the Board of Examiners or any one of its members. 
He was inclined to think that, although his friend had been 
exceedingly guarded in what he had said, he had made 
allusion to some statements which fell from him. Now, 
understanding that to be the case, he would at once say that 
nothing was further from his mind than to reflect at all upon 
the efficiency of the Court of Examiners ; but he did say, and 
he must repeat it, that unless a man had been a teacher him¬ 
self he was not quite in a position to become an examiner. 
