134 
ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY S-URGEONS. 
Wolstenholme, Q.C.,relativetothe|requisition for calling a general meeting 
of members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons. The opinion ot 
counsel was to the effect that a discussion raised in any ordinary meeting 
of the members of the lloyal College of Veterinary Surgeons as to the 
course of practice of the Royal Veterinary College would not be wholly 
irregular ; but he did not mean the inference to be drawn that any 
resolution come to at such meeting would have the least binding power 
over the Royal Veterinary College. The Chairman would perhaps be 
technically right in refusing to allow such discussion, or to enter into 
any resolution on the subject in the minutes; at the same time he did 
not see that to allow the discussion or to enter a resolution on the 
minutes, expressing the opinions of the members present on a matter 
personally affecting them, would be wrong. No further action would 
require to be taken except by communicating the resolution to the 
Veterinary College, and no opportunity would be given for questioning 
the regularity of the proceeding. It would, however, be right to state 
the resolution as passed by the members present, and not describe it as 
a resolution of the meeting. 
Professor Axe said it occurred to him that the main point in question 
was whether it was not beyond the jurisdiction of the Council, as a 
political body presiding over veterinary science, to allow themselves to 
call a meeting to consider a subject which was quite beside the object 
for which the College was founded ; and he thought the opinion of 
counsel stated that there was no such power. 
Mr. Fleming said that, according to the latter portion of the opinion, the 
matter seemed to be left in the hands of the President, and there would 
be found there a very important “ perhaps,” which left it to a large 
extent optional. With regard to the question itself, he thought the in¬ 
structions given to counsel had not been properly framed. Whether 
the petition was acceded to or not was a question more for the profes¬ 
sion than the Council to decide, inasmuch as the object of the petition 
was as much for the protection of the profession now as was the move¬ 
ment lately made in the Council to modify the charter sought to be 
obtained by the Royal Veterinary College. 
Mr. Harpley said that on the previous day there was a meeting of the 
General Purposes Committee of the Royal Veterinary College, and the 
subject of the petition was discussed. It was mainly pointed out to 
the Governors that counsel’s opinion was adverse to the power of the 
President to call a general meeting of the body corporate to discuss the 
matter in question; but the Governors were perfectly willing to listen 
to any complaint the profession might have against them or their college. 
In the present instance it was suggested by the Chairman that a 
small sub-committee of the General Purposes Committee be deputed 
to communicate with a small section of the gentlemen, who, with Mr. 
Moore, raised the question, and that the matter be discussed at the 
Royal Veterinury College on any day they wished to name. 
Mr. Fleming pointed out that the opinion of counsel did not state that 
the profession had any right to petition the President to hold a general 
meeting of the profession. Those who drew up the petition must, he 
thought, have been misled by the bye-laws, and if so, it was not their 
fault. They thought they had a grievance, which, on the face of it, was 
apparent at the time they drew up the petition. 
Prof. Axe submitted that the gentlemen on whose behalf the petition 
was drawn up were very grievously wronged ; but the Governors of the 
Royal Veterinary College were always accessible, and it was a very 
great pity that the Council had been called upon to do anything in the 
