stitute. On the 8th of November
1763, according to the Faculty Records, "Dr. Smith represented that
some interesting business would probably require his leaving the
College some time this winter, and made the following proposals and
request to the meeting:-?

"1st, That if he should be obliged to leave the College without
finishing his usual course of lectures, he should pay back to all his
students the fees which he shall have received from them; and that if
any of them should refuse to accept of such fees, he should in that
case pay them to the University.

"2nd, That whatever part of the usual course of lectures he should
leave unfinished should be given gratis to the students, by a person
to be appointed by the University, with such salary as they shall
think proper, which salary is to be paid by Dr. Smith.

"The Faculty accept of the above proposals, and hereby unanimously
grant Dr. Smith leave of absence for three months of this session if
his business shall require, and at such time as he shall find it
necessary."

The reason he asks in the first instance only for this temporary and
provisional arrangement is no doubt to be found in the fact that the
precise date for the beginning of the tutorship was not yet
determined. As it might very possibly be fixed upon suddenly and
involve a somewhat rapid call for his services, the precaution of
obtaining beforehand a three months' leave of absence would enable him
to remain in constant readiness to answer that call whenever it might
come, without in the meanwhile requiring him to give up his duties to
his Glasgow class prematurely; and it would at the same time allow
ample time to the University to make more permanent arrangements
before the temporary provision expired. The call when it came did come
rather suddenly. Up till the middle of December Smith never received
any manner of answer from Townshend, and the matter was not settled
till after the Christmas holidays. For on the 12th of December 1763
Smith writes Hume, who was now in Paris:--

MY DEAR HUME--The day before I received your last letter I
had the honour of a letter from Charles Townshend, renewing
in the most obliging manner his former proposal that I
should travel with the Duke of Buccleugh, and informing me
that his Grace was to leave Eton at Christmas, and would go
abroad very soon after that. I accepted the proposal, but at
the same time expressed to Mr. Townsh