64 The Scottish Naturalist. 



At this time Forfar was a small land-locked place, of about 

 5000 inhabitants. The principal trades were weaving coarse 

 linens, shoemaking, and brewing. It being the county-town, 

 there was a comparatively large number of writers and other 

 functionaries connected with the administration of the law. The 

 Forfarians of that day were a shrewd, kindly folk, with old- 

 fashioned, home-spun ways. The only man of note in it at this 

 time was the Rev. John Jamieson, afterwards Dr Jamieson, 

 author of the ' Dictionary of the Scottish Language,' who was 

 minister of the Secession Church. With him- Don is said to 

 have been on terms of intimacy, and also with Mr Clarke, teacher 

 of classics in the Burgh School, whose only title to remembrance 

 is that he sent a pound to Burns on his death-bed, and to whom 

 the poet wrote a letter of warm thanks, with as warm an entreaty 

 for another note. About this time a. section of Forfarians — in- 

 cluding among its number some of the most influential men in 

 the town — sympathised deeply with the French in their efforts 

 to rid themselves of the tyranny under which they had so long 

 groaned, and looked upon Buonaparte, for a time, at least, as the 

 regenerator of society. They were followers of William God- 

 win, the founder of philosophic Radicalism, and adopted as their 

 creed the principles — so far as they were practicable — laid down 

 in his ' Inquiry concerning Political Justice.' It was through 

 their exertions mainly that the Forfar Library was founded in 

 1795 — a library that will compare favourably with any other of 

 its class. In addition to books, they also provided themselves 

 with a telescope, microscope, and other philosophical instru- 

 ments. To these men Don attached himself, and continued to 

 be closely associated with them down to the time of his death. 



In 1799 he was made a member of the Library, on the condi- 

 tions set forth in the following minute : — 



" 1 st February 1799. — George Don, Botanist, was admitted a 

 member of the Library in consideration of having presented to 

 the Library three volumes of Botanical Drawings ; and excepting 

 the price of addenda, he is not to be liable in payment of any 

 dues." 



There is now only one volume of Botanical Drawings in the 

 Library — a volume of plates of Fungi, " Sowerby Delineator, 

 1796," — doubtless one of the three presented by Don. This 

 little incident is significant enough. The Botanist is too poor to 

 pay the subscription in money, but presents the three volumes 

 of plates. He thus gains the command of a good library, and, 



