ROYAL COLLEGE OF VETERINARY SURGEONS. 
427 
remarks with regard to the voting papers. Having been unexpectedly 
called upon to act as one of the scrutineers, he found that much time 
was unnecessarily expended by the manner in which members of the 
College had to vote for the respective candidates. It was, he thought, 
an unnecessary and unwarrantable tax on the time of the scrutineers to 
have to count and go through in a minute manner the names as at 
present arranged in order to arrive at a correct conclusion. He cordially 
supported the suggestion of Mr. Lawson, more particularly that the 
names of the candidates be printed in larger type. There had been, he 
believed, fourteen votes lost that morning, a majority of them from 
absence of signature, and some others from mystification of the names 
and residences of the candidates with the list of the present members of 
Council. Some gentleman, unable to understand the Queen’s English, 
had erased the names of the present members of Council instead of 
voting for the candidates. He thought that was another suggestion that 
might be taken into consideration in future by those who draw up the 
voting paper. He did not know that it was absolutely necessary that a 
list of the present members of Council should appear on it. If so, he 
thought that it would be highly judicious that a plainer and more distinct 
manner of discriminating between the two were applied in drawing out 
the voting paper. He thought also that some better arrangement might 
be made with regard to the appointment and the attendance of the 
scrutineers. If gentlemen accepted an office, he thought they were 
called upon and in duty bound to be there to do their duty. It was 
exceedingly unpleasant for a member of the profession, after having 
come a distance of between 200 and 300 miles, to be suddenly called 
upon to act as a scrutineer. He might say that it had been so on this 
occasion in several instances. 
Mr. Dollar’s motion was then put to the meeting, and unanimously 
adopted. 
The President then said that he would endeavour to explain some 
matters which had been under discussion that afternoon. In the first 
place, as to the non-delivery of voting papers till late in the week, he 
must confess that he was to some extent to blame in the matter. The 
annual report was detained in Edinburgh for a day in consequence of 
his absence from home. It could not be printed till he had revised 
it after being sent to him by the secretary; and, being from home, the 
report did not get to London for another day. That would to some extent 
account for the delay. He trusted, however, to have an opportunity of 
moving in the Council, or that some one else would do it for him, that 
more days would be allowed for sending out the voting-papers. He 
hoped that by next year there would be no longer any cause of com¬ 
plaint. The Secretary told him that the reason why a great many 
gentlemen had not received voting-papers had been on account of their 
having changed their residences since the last publication of the Register. 
The voting-papers were sent to the old addresses; and, the new ad¬ 
dresses not having been given, the papers were returned. He hoped 
that every gentleman who had changed his address would send the 
new one to the Registrar of the College, in order that he might get the 
voting-paper in due time. With regard to the matriculation question, 
he must confess that he was quite willing that the Council of the Royal 
College of Veterinary Surgeons should have at least the power of fixing 
a minimum examination. That was to say, that, after due consultation, 
and by arrangement with the principals of the colleges, power be granted 
to the Royal College of fixing, as it were, the lowest standard below 
which no one would be allowed to enter the College, and also of 
