ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS. 421 
position of the profession (applause). He thought that they might con¬ 
gratulate themselves on having arrived at the stage of having obtained 
such a good position that they could meet in Scotland without opposi¬ 
tion from another examining body. At the same time a healthy rivalry 
was not a thing to be objected to, and he had just risen for the purpose 
of stating that there was a chance of making a mistake in the other direc- 
tion, and getting into a dead level of uniformity. Although one examin¬ 
ing body was a good thing, yet it was not a good thing that they should 
have merely one governing body. He should be very sorry to see the 
schools ruled entirely by the profession, and that was what he was afraid 
they were approaching to. He thought that the schools and the manage¬ 
ment of the schools could not be too much separated from the profession 
so long as the College had the power of granting diplomas. Of course 
there was no reason why the schools should not combine voluntarily, and 
select parties to examine; but it would be a mistake for the schools to 
hand it over entirely to the profession. It was the thin end of the 
wedge, and they might possibly be interfering with the schools afterwards 
in other matters. He would say, let the schools submit their students to 
whatever matriculative examination they might choose, and if they did 
not get proper men to do so, they would soon be shown in their true 
colours, and free trade would very soon right itself in the matter. With 
regard to the Museum of the College, he thought that any person who 
had been in it would be of opinion that it was simply and solely a dis¬ 
grace to the profession. There were many really valuable specimens 
hidden away in a manner that was not creditable to them. There was 
hardly a provincial town that did not have specimens worthy of the 
Hunterian Museum, and he believed that the veterinary surgeons 
throughout the country would be willing to send up specimens to the 
Museum of the College provided there was a decent place to put them 
in. He must say that he felt almost sorry to read that somebody had 
presented the skeleton of a pure Arab horse, as he did not know where 
it was to be placed. He concluded by saying that he thought they 
might congratulate themselves on everything having gone right lately, 
and also on their present meeting in Edinburgh (applause). 
In reply to Professor McFaydean, Edinburgh, 
Major~ General Sir F. Fitzwygram explained that there was an error 
in the report with regard to the regulations as to the Fitywygram 
Prizes, but that the papers sent out in his name were correctly worded, so 
that he did not think that any practical injustice had been done to any one. 
Mr. Dollar , London, said that several members had received no 
voting papers. He believed there had been some difficulty in issuing 
the voting papers this year—first, on account of the members not notify¬ 
ing to the Registrar the alteration in their addresses, the great number 
of fresh names appearing on the Register for the first time. He did 
not stand up to find fault with what had been done; still he thought 
that making a note of the delay that had occurred this year would 
have the effect of the papers being sent out better next year (applause). 
He wished to take the opportunity of moving a resolution, and he would 
do in connection with the Annual Report. The Report stated that 
“ steps should now be immediately taken by the Royal College of 
Veterinary Surgeons to obtain an Act of Parliament for the protection 
of the title of Veterinary Surgeon.” He merely made that paragraph 
the stepping-stone to bring forward what he wanted. The resolution 
he was to propose, if it was acted upon by the Council, would not only 
have a great influence on the profession itself, but also in connection 
with the view that the public would take of them as a profession. If 
29 
LIII. 
