RIRE AT THE EDINBURGH VETERINARY COLLEGE. 
195 
Mr. Holland, and that the President and Secretary do wait 
upon that gentleman, to ascertain the probable result of 
brirmimr forward the measure in Parliament/’—Carried. 
The meeting adjourned sine die. 
\y order of the Council, 
William Henry Coates, 
Secretary. 
TH 
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FIRE A3? THE EDINBURGH VETERINARY 
COLLEGE. 
We regret to learn that a fire broke out on the afternoon 
of February 16th, at the Edinburgh Veterinary College, 
which at one time threatened the entire destruction of the 
scholastic portion of the establishment. It seems to have 
commenced in a vacant space under the raised seats of the 
lecture-theatre, which had been appropriated to the putting 
away of forage. “ About 4 o’clock in the afternoon. Pro¬ 
fessor Dick had just entered the room, and was about to 
commence his lecture, when a strong smell of burning, and 
the appearance of smoke through the crevices in the floor, 
gave rise to the apprehension that the hay immediately 
beneath the theatre was on fire. The alarm was immediately 
given, and messengers despatched to the police station at 
St. James’s Street and to the main police office. The engines 
arrived shortly before 5 o’clock, but some little delay was 
occasioned from the difficulty the firemen experienced in 
obtaining access to the close and intricately arranged loft, 
which was fully packed with hay, from which there issued 
dense volumes of smoke. In the mean time the veterinary 
students present, from seventy to eighty in number, rendered 
signal survice in removing the books from the library to the 
front part of the building, and assisting in clearing the 
museum of its valuable contents. By the time the engines 
were got into proper working order a large crowd of spec¬ 
tators had assembled, some of whom were very active in 
their endeavours to assist in saving the property. The 
firemen, on obtaining access to the hay-loft, concentrated 
their exertions on the removal of the burning contents, and 
poured in a copious flow of water; but from the difficulty of 
getting facility for the effectual play of the engines, a con¬ 
siderable time elapsed before the fire was thoroughly sub¬ 
dued. The lecture-room, being immediately over the flames, 
sustained, of course, the greatest amount of damage. The 
whole of the interior fittings were either burned or charred 
