ROBERT BROWN AS A MAN 123 



rougher side of his nature. He was not generous with his 

 specimens, nor was he always ready to part with information. 

 Asa Gray tells a story of how he encountered this trait of 

 Brown's character. Gray was visiting this country and, of 

 course, made the great botanist's acquaintance. One day Brown 

 told him that he knew of a character by which Rhexia (a genus 

 in which Gray was at that time interested) could be distinguished 

 from some nearly allied ones, and that this character had escaped 

 the notice of De Candolle and others. But Gray could not get 

 it out of him, and it was not till the following week that Brown 

 was induced to part with his secret ! 



It is interesting to observe the impression the elder botanist 

 made on Gray, and to note the growing admiration with which 

 the younger man speaks of him in the very readable diary he 

 kept of his London visit. It was the same, however, with all. The 

 more intimate the acquaintance the more profound the respect, 

 and sometimes the love, that Brown's personality inspired. 



Brown was a keen business man, and well lived up to the 

 traditions of the land of his birth. He gave a remarkable proof 

 of his canniness in the successful outcome of his bargaining with 

 the trustees of the British Museum. Sir Joseph Banks by his 

 will had left him not only his house, but also a life user of the 

 Banksian collections, after which they were to go to the Museum. 

 In 1827 Brown entered into a hard agreement with the trustees 

 to transfer the collections at once to the Museum, he being 

 appointed " under-librarian " at an adequate salary, with a well 

 safeguarded position. He used commonly to take 1 1 weeks' 

 holiday a length of vacation which served to differentiate him 

 rather clearly (and to his own advantage) from his colleagues. 

 He successfully countered all official moves designed to encroach 

 on the terms of his agreement whereby his freedom might be 

 curtailed, and his conditions of service be brought more into 

 line with those that obtained elsewhere in the Museum. 



He maintained through his life intimate relations with the 

 Linnean Society. He acted during his earlier life as Librarian 

 to the Society, an office which he resigned in 1822. Two years 

 previously he had succeeded to the house in Soho Square which 

 had been left to him by Sir Joseph Banks, and as it was larger 



