Calendar: 1856-1857 Page 44

44 ANNUAL REPORT APRIL 1856 Dr George Johnson is promoted to the rank of Physician Dr William Augustus Guy is at his own request and after sixteen years' diligent and faithful services relieved from the active work of attending the Out-Patients retaining however the title of Physician to the Hospital Dr Lionel Smith Beale succeeds to the office of Physician with the care of Out-Patients vacated by Dr Guy The Council propose to elect two Assistant Surgeons and two Assistant Physicians to fill the vacancies caused respec- tively by the promotion of Mr Bowman and Dr Johnson With regard to the Department of Civil Service and Com- merce the Council have been induced on the recommendation of the Principal to suspend its functions for the present Experience had shown that although partially successful this Department under altered circumstances had become less attractive than was at first expected One cause of this may be traced to the principles now definitively adopted by Her Majesty's Government in the choice of subjects of ex- amination for the superior offices in the Public Service which as already stated correspond to the subjects of instruction pre- scribed in another Department of the College But besides this there can be no doubt that large proportion of the young men who desire to qualify themselves for promotion in the Civil Service or for the enlightened pursuit of Commerce are occupied many hours in the early part of the day so that Department which was only opened during those hours turned out to be practically closed against them An ad- ditional illustration of the correctness of the foregoing con- siderations was unexpectedly supplied by the remarkable success of an experiment which was commenced during the month of October and the particulars of which the Council now proceed briefly to explain The Principal and the Secretary had long been of opinion that it would be feasible to extend the resources and influence of the College by establishing Department for Evening Classes The present seemed favourable opportunity for trying the experiment in complete form Accordingly after