446 
ANNUAL MEETING. 
wri^ht, W. Thacker, and W. J. Goodwin; Treasurer, Mr. 
S. II. Withers ; Secretary, Mr. W. H. Coates. 
At the first Quarterly Meeting of the Council the vacancy 
at the Examining Board caused by the death of Professor 
Morton was filled up by the election of Professor Brown, 
formerly Lecturer on Veterinary Science at the Cirencester 
Agricultural College. 
It was intimated to the Council during the Parliamentary 
Session that her Majesty’s Government had communicated to 
the Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland their 
refusal to grant a Veterinary Charter for Scotland; and with 
respect also to this subject a communication w^as received 
from the Secretary to the Board of Trade requesting a printed 
copy of the Charter of the Royal College of Veterinary Sur¬ 
geons, in order to complete a set of documents to be laid 
before Parliament. In compliance with this request a copy 
of the Charter was forwarded. The Council had already 
furnished the Government with a statement of the reasons 
which militated against the grant of a separate Charter. 
It was deemed advisable to re-employ the Parliamentary 
Agents and to reappoint the members of the Parliamentary 
Committee, in order to watch the proceedings in the event of 
any renewed attempt being made to obtain a Veterinary 
Charter for Scotland. 
In taking this course the Council were not actuated by a 
desire to offer factious opposition to the movement which some 
members of the veterinary profession liave deemed it desir¬ 
able to initiate. The Council have always unhesitatingly used 
their power to prevent the obtainment of a Charter in addition 
to the one already existing, from the apprehension of disas¬ 
trous consequences likely to follow the division into two 
separate, if not antagonistic bodies, of a profession which 
is, even in its present state, numerically weak. 
The corporate body, actuated by a common motive, and 
held together by unity of puiq)ose, is capable of advancing to 
the highest state of development consistent with its position ; 
but if a separation into independent sections were permitted 
there would inevitably arise a conflict of interests, and the 
progress of veterinary science would be indefinitely retarded. 
The Council believe that any concession which justice and 
reason require should be made to avert the final calamity of a 
divided profession. 
Among the subjects which have occupied the attention of 
the Council the revision of the present system of examiuin<>' 
candidates for the diploma of the Royal College of Veterinary 
Surgeons has received the most anxious consideration. 
