A further account of the proceedings of the Association of Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, from March 1890 to June 1892.

Date:
1892
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A further account of the proceedings of the Association of Fellows of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, from March 1890 to June 1892. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    The statement of the Deputation was considered in the Council of the College, paragraph by paragraph, and the following resolutions were adopted after considerable discussion :— “ l.—That Mr. Wilde be instructed to prepare a case for submission to the Attorney-General and Mr. Paget, for their opinion as to whether the Council possess the power to summon a meeting of the Fellows of the College separately from the Members. “ 2.—That the consideration of the question of providing a Common Room in the College for the Fellows be postponed. “ 3.—That a Committee be appointed to consider and report to the Council on the rules relating to Voting Papers for the election to the Council. “ 4.—That with respect to the proposal relating to the negotiations with the University of London, the Deputation of Fellows be informed that the Council have not the power to grant their request.” The ultimate issue on the three main points introduced by the Deputation may advantageously be stated seriatim. 1.—Right op Meeting of Fellows separately from the Members. On the 19th February, 1891, the Secretary of the College addressed a letter to the Flonorary Secretary of the Association, enclosing a copy of an opinion obtained from the Attorney-General and Mr. Paget, in reference to separate meetings of Fellows. This opinion is here appended. Ex parte. THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS OF ENGLAND. MEETINGS OF FELLOWS. Opinion. We are of opinion that no legal objection exists which prevents the Council of the College granting the use of the College Premises to either the Fellows or the Members for a meeting for purely consultative purposes, and that this course is equally open to the Council whether such Meeting be summoned by the President or Council or merely allowed to take place there with their permission and authority. It must, however, be distinctly understood that such meeting would in no sense be of any official or corporate character or efficacy, and nothing resolved or occurring thereat would in any way alter the rights of the College or any one of its members, whether Fellows or Members only. Any proposals to affect the interests of the Corporation or any of its Members could only be discussed, so as to have effect, at a regularly assembled Meeting of the whole corporate body. Bye-law XVII. is, in our opinion, a purely prohibitive provision, designed to meet certain specified cases, and no inference can legitimately be drawn therefrom as to any inherent or implied power to summon or countenance any official or effectual Meeting of Fellows only, or of Members as distinguished from Fellows. Nor do we find anything in the Charters giving or implying such power. We must point out that if any such Meeting of Fellows was either summoned or permitted on the College premises, it would not be consistent or, in our opinion, reasonable, to refuse similar facilities for a Meeting of Members, either with or without the presence of the Fellows, who are, by the constitution of the College necessarily Members, were such a Meeting requested by a substantial number of the Members,