Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/24

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History of the Cape Colony.
[1873

the honourable John Henry de Villiers, attorney-general, Henry Anderson Ebden, M.D., president of the colonial medical committee, Charles Bletterman Elliott, holder of a first-class certificate in literature and science, the reverend Phihp Eduard Faure, D.D., moderator of the synod of the Dutch reformed church, the venerable Peter Parry Fogg, M.A., archdeacon of George, Francis Guthrie, B.A., LL.B., professor of mathematics, Graaff- Eeinet college, Johannes Zacharias Herman, M.D., the reverend William Impey, general superintendent of Wesleyan missions, the reverend Edward Judge, M.A., colonial chaplain, the reverend John Murray, professor of the theological seminary, Stellenbosch, the reverend George Ogilvie, M.A., principal of the diocesan college, William Porter, M.L.A., late attorney-general, the honourable Charles Abercrombie Smith, M.A., commissioner of crown lands and public works, the reverend David Smith, M.A., Peter Gordon Stewart, M.D., and Edward James Stone, M.A., astronomer royal.

The first meeting of the council took place on the 1st of September 1873, when Dr. Dale was elected vice chancellor and Mr. Cameron registrar. It was provided that as soon as the members of convocation should reach one hundred a chancellor should be elected. This condition was fulfilled in February 1876, when Mr. William Porter, the former attorney-general of the Cape Colony, whose name was one of the most respected in South Africa, was unanimously chosen to fill the position of honour. Mr. Porter was then residing in Ireland.

On the 8th of August 1877 her Majesty Queen Victoria was pleased, at the instance of Lord Carnarvon, who was then secretary of state for the colonies, to confer a royal charter on the university, thereby giving its degrees a status equal to those of any other in the empire.

To obtain the mechanics and labourers needed for con- structing the railways and other public works in contem-