IN MEMORIAM — PROFESSOR THOMAS KING. 13 



Professor King left Glasgow to attend the Conference of the 

 Society at Fochabers. Next morning he seemed to have reco- 

 vered from the fatigue of his long journey, and joined the excursion 

 party in their search for fungi. The route lay over a rough hill- 

 side. After walking some distance he became over-heated, and 

 feeling unable to proceed further he sat down to rest on a stone. 

 Here he was seized with sickness and other svmotoms of illness, 

 but, after resting for a short time, he was able to follow the party 

 in their return to the Gordon Arms Hotel. The same evening he 

 attended the annual dinner, and took part in the subsequent 

 business meeting of the Society, but retired early to rest. Next 

 morning he appeared at the breakfast table, but was unable 

 to take food j and he was attended by Dr. William Watson, 

 Slateford, who fortunately was among the party. As symptoms 

 of pleurisy were apparent, Mr. King was ordered to bed, and 

 remedial measures were at once adopted. When absent from 

 home, his custom had been to write to his sister every day ; and 

 in a letter written on the Thursday evening he informed her of 

 his illness and of Dr. Watson's desire that one of his friends 

 should be summoned to attend him. Mrs. Ritchie accordingly 

 proceeded next day to Fochabers, taking with her some letters 

 for her brother which had arrived in his absence. Among: these 

 was a communication from the editor of the Scottish Farmer, 

 enclosing ears of rye affected with ergot, which greatly interested 

 Mr. King. A note on the subject, written to his dictation by 

 Mrs. Ritchie, was afterwards despatched to the editor of the 

 Scottish Farmer, and appears on page 756 of the issue of 19th 

 September, the same paper which contains an announcement of 

 his death. 



On Friday, 11th September, the members of the party who had 

 attended the conference left Fochabers, and it was hoped by them 

 that in a few days Professor King would have so far progressed 

 towards recovery as to be able to return to Glasgow. This hope, 

 however, was not to be realised. On the following Sunday a 

 relapse with serious complications set in, and on Monday, 14th 

 September, he passed peacefully away. 



The sad announcement of his death came as a painful surprise 

 to his wide circle of friends, most of whom had not even been 

 aware of his illness. 



