LIFE OF JOSHUA ALDER. XV 



" A great calamity, in which he had unfortunately many 

 fellow-sufferers, befel him in 1857 in the failure of the North- 

 umberland and Durham District Bank. By this he lost all 

 his property, yet no one ever heard him complain ; no word 

 of blame or anger escaped him. He knew how to keep an 

 even mind in adversity, as he had done in prosperity ; and he 

 was one of those few persons who have not had the extreme 

 pain of being in adversity forsaken by their friends. A 

 numerously and rapidly signed representation, containing the 

 names of all our celebrities in science, and of troops of other 

 friends, was made to the Government, who ultimately gave 

 him from the Civil List a pension of 70 per annum." But 

 material help came also from another quarter. Sir William 

 (afterwards Lord) Armstrong consulted Alder's most intimate 

 friends, and learnt that he had always purposed to bequeath 

 his collections and library to the Newcastle Museum. Sir 

 William then approached Alder through a friend with the 

 intimation that he greatly desired to be allowed to purchase 

 his collections and library in order that they might be placed 

 in the Newcastle Museum after his death, and that he would 

 be glad to secure this by the payment of an annuity during 

 Alder's life. The annuity offered through the friend was a 

 truly noble payment for the collection. It was a most kind 

 act most delicately done. 



Alder carried on extensive correspondence with brother 

 Naturalists, and his letters were always most beautifully 

 written and replete with information and interest when his 

 help was asked for. In the earlier part of his career copious 

 communications passed between him and Dr. George Johnston, 

 Edward Forbes, William Thompson of Belfast, Cocks of 

 Falmouth, and Dr. J. E. Grey, and also with the two Goodsirs, 

 Hanley, Baird, Yarrell, Fleming, and Dr. Carpenter ; also 

 in later years with Allman, Busk, Hincks, Strethill Wright, 

 Bowerbank, &c. Continental Naturalists who corresponded 

 with him included Loveii, M. Sars, P. J. Van Beneden, H. 

 Milne Edwards, Ferussac, Dupuy, Phillipi, and Veraiiy. He 

 was always delighted to encourage and assist by any means 

 in his power the less-informed Naturalists who sought his 

 help. All work that he undertook evinced the greatest care 

 and accuracy, while he possessed a most discriminating judg- 

 ment in distinguishing species from varieties, so that perhaps 

 no recent author has described so many species among 

 marine Invertebrata with so few, if any, spurious species 

 amongst them. 



It was my good fortune to be able to pay him frequent 



