GENERAL COUNCIL CONTINUED. 305 survived the Union; but the Court's settlement remained to the last. Rev. J. Davidson of Inverurie gave a lengthy notice of a motion to open up the whole of the regulations of the University by a special inquiry as to their working. At the meeting of the Council, in October, 1863, the final deliverance of the Court upon the Sites question was communicated, and was hostile to the motion for change; a meeting being held at which the Rector attended and gave his deciding vote. The members favourable to the change of site were:-Mr. Thomson of Banchory, Dr. Kilgour, and Dr. Ogston; while Mr. John Webster was then in full harmony and concurrence with the King's College Party on this point. Mr. Davidson's lengthy motion was proposed and carried by 33 to 28. Mr. Duguid Milne renewed his motion for an alteration in the Ordinance regulating the election of the Rector. This was carried, without a division. One of the numerous motions respecting the Library was made by Baillie Forbes, and carried. At the meeting in April, 1864, the Court's deliverance upon Mr. Davidson's motion was given, and was adverseon the ground of its covering too wide a field, and being premature. As to Mr. Milne's motion, the Court considered the change desirable, but thought it would involve an alteration in the Act. At this meeting, the Senatus reported their modified scheme for the Bursary Competition, which remained unchanged in essential particulars, and merely underwent a slight modification in later years by the introduction of outside subjects, known as the fancy subjects. Dr. Kilgour made a motion for an inferior degree, which might be called Bachelor in Arts, at the end of three years' attendance. The motion was carried, yet came to nothing. At the meeting in October, 1864, the Council's Assessor had to be appointed. The King's College interest made a grand effort to secure a man of their own in place of Kilgour, who was hostile; and Rev. W. Mearns of Kinneff was proposed, and a poll demanded. As to Dr. Kilgour's motion for a B.A. degree, the deliverance of the Court was to refer it to the Senatus. Local Examinations were brought forward, on the motion of Alexander Forbes,which motion was carried. Dr. George G. Brown again moved for publicity to the proceedings of the Court and the Senatus-by the admission of reporters,-which was carried by 12 to 10. In April, 1865, the first business was the intimation that Rev. W. Mearns of Kinneff had obtained a majority of votes for the Assessorship. The defeat of Dr. Kilgour was explicable only by the superior exertions of the King's College interest; there being plenty of strength on the other side to sweep away the small majority of Mearns. The effect, however, was, in conjunction with the next appointment of Chancellor's Assessor, Dr. Woodford, to make the King's College interest predominant for a number of years to come. On the question of the admission of reporters to the Court, a representation was read in favour of publishing the res gesta of each meeting, reserving the right of admitting the reporters on special occasions. It appears that the Senatus had given an opinion to the Court unfavourable to the proposed B.A. degree, and the Court itself acquiesced. A motion was made by Rev. Mr. Mitchell, St. Fergus, and carried by 99 to 44, for the transference of the Library from King's to Marischal College. On a motion, not intimated on the roll of business, by Mr. Duguid Milne, to send a copy of the resolution to the Chancellor, the Lord Rector, and the Lords of the Treasury, the President declared it incompetent. The decision was supported by Rev. Mr. Hutchison, but was overruled. The Duke of Richmond presided, and, with the exception of a meeting quite recently, this meeting was the only one at which he ever appeared. The chief business was the University Court's representation anent the removal of the Library. GENERAL COUNCIL CONTINUED. 307 There was nothing of importance done at the meeting in April, 1866; but, at the October meeting of that year, Dr. George Brown gave notice of motion as to Local Examinations. In April, 1867, a motion was brought forward by Professor Nicol, and carried, in favour of petitioning Parliament that, in any Reform Bill for Scotland, provision be made for the due representation of the Scottish Universities. At the meeting in October, 1867, Mr. Grant Duff took the chair. Dr. Brown's motion on Local Examinations was carried. At the meeting in April, 1868, it was announced that the Court approved of Parliamentary Representation for the Scottish Universities. There was also submitted the Court's deliverance on Local Examinations, which was simply discouraging. In October, 1868, Dr. Kilgour was re-elected Assessor. It fell to me to move that the Minutes of the General Council be printed, an important step in the procedure of the body. The motion was unanimously agreed to. Mr. W. A. Hunter moved in favour of exchanging books at Marischal College,—which also was unanimously carried. To the meeting in April, 1869, was submitted the Court's deliverance anent exchange of books, the tenor of which was that the Court did not know how it could be carried out. Professor Geddes moved, anent the Compensation Grant, for additional grant from the Treasury,which motion was carried. In a motion by Dr. G. G. Brown, reference was made to the large income of the University Library through the surplus of the General Fund, which had been, for several years, about £300 a year. This surplus has a history. It had been kept concealed, until the year of my curatorship of the Library, when I read it out in connexion with Professor Geddes's motion for obtaining an increase of the Parliamentary grant. The supposition was that the King's College Party had this accumulation in their view, in case there should be no other means of securing an extension of the Library Buildings in Old Aberdeen. The Senatus, however, by sending a deputation to the Government, obtained a grant of £5000 for the erection; while, at a later period, Lord Rosebery, as Rector, obtained the grant of £3000 for adding to the building. The accumulated funds were first turned to account, when the new Library was erected, in preparing the catalogue and in the purchase of books for making up blanks; which operations did not exhaust the accumulated savings, so that, when the building addition was made to the South Wing at Marischal College, the Court was enabled to advance £2000 for the purchase of buildings in Longacre. This, of course, was incompetent, except as a loan for which interest ought to be given. The Court was divided on the legality; but, being once carried, it remains and will remain without either repayment or interest. One other motion, made at this meeting of the Council, indicative of the march of events, was that by Dr. David Brown, designed to secure the due representation of the Universities of Scotland on the Board of National Education, contemplated in the Education Bill then before the House of Lords. It was agreed to, unanimously. In October, 1869, the Court transmitted to the Council its deliverance anent the Compensation Grant,-which was simply "a resolve to defer taking any steps in reference to the subject meantime". The Rev. R. Stephen, of Renfrew, gave notice of a motion expressive of the opinion that the time had now come for amending the Universities Act, and conferring greater power on the University Councils. CHAPTER VI. SECOND HALF OF UNIVERSITY CAREER-1870-1880. Winter Session, 1870-71, and Recess following. THE year 1871 saw the opening of a number of new incidents and enterprises. In the first place, it became notable by Grote's death, on the 18th of June. The malady that removed him (Bright's disease of the kidney) manifested itself very early in the year. It affected his locomotive capabilities—he could neither walk nor ride without danger. Yet, his mental faculties remained intact, and he maintained an active correspondence on the subjects that interested him. I gave him a summary of Spencer's new edition; in acknowledging which, on the 18th of February, he described his ailment in terms that showed that it had now full possession of him. He also discussed Taine's book on Intelligence, of which I had also made an abstract. In April, he was able to take part in filling up a vacancy in the Philosophy Examinership of the University of London. Towards the end of April, I arrived in London, and was painfully struck with his altere d |