There was a curious instance of Irish jealousy and of
Minis- terial timidity in the debate in the House of Lords on Tuesday on the Brown Trust. Mr. Brown, who was a lover of animals, left some time ago to the London University 20,0001., to accu- mulate for fifteen years, and then to found a hospital for domestic animals suffering from disease or hurts, to which was to be attached a chair of veterinary science. In case the University had not applied it, however, within nineteen years, the trust fond was to go over to the University of Dublin for professorships of Oriental languages. What was the idea which suggested to Mr. Brown the alternative between healing dogs and horses and teaching Sanscrit or Arabic does not appear. The University of London, however, were quite willing to carry out the testator's intention, but had not adequate funds both to found a hospital for domestic animals on a scale of any importance and to institute good lectures in veterinary science, and the Charity Commis- sioners proposed to the University so to modify the scheme as to found scholarships in veterinary science only, which would have carried out the general intent of the testator. This scheme the Duke of Marlborough introduced to the House of Lords on Tuesday, but anticipating apparently that Irish Peers would attack him, declared the Ministry quite in- different to it. Of course the Irish Peers, eager—not for the testator's intention, but for the lapse of the fund to the Univer- sity of Dublin, did attack the scheme bitterly, and the Govern- ment not venturing a word ha its defence, it was beaten by 48 to
16, of which the only result will be that a poor hospital and poor veterinary lectureship must be founded, as there are no funds to carry out the whole purpose well. It is a pity that voluntary contributions should not be raised to establish a really large clinical school of veterinary science. We can imagine nothing snore likely to lead to new discoveries even, in human pathology and physiology.
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