150 The Scottish Naturalist. 



life. In that department you knew his value; /knew him not 



only as a botanist but as a man, and I know that had he been 



capable of sprawling at the footstep of power, and licking the 



holy dust, it would not now have fallen to my lot to call upon 



his friends to save his family from ruin. 



" I leave London in a few days, but should you be able to 



suggest any means to assist this unfortunate family, and should 



you require any further information on the subject, you will 



oblige me by writing per post to Newburgh, Fife, if you have 



not a correspondent nearer Forfar. — I am, with much respect, 



sir, your obedient servant, 



" David Booth. 

 " Sir J. E. Smith, 

 " President of Linnivan Society, Norwich." 



To what does Mr Booth allude when he speaks of Don's 

 incapability of " sprawling at the footstep of power, and licking 

 the holy dust?" Has it any connection with his short tenure 

 of the office of superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens at 

 Edinburgh ? Did his political opinions make the place too hot 

 for him? It may be so. There is no direct evidence as to 

 what his politics were, but those of his Forfar associates are 

 known to have been radical enough. Or is it wrong to attri- 

 bute his resignation to this cause? Was is not rather due to 

 the fact that he was too far away from his beloved Highland 

 hills, and would not be cooped up in Edinburgh? 



The following is the answer of Sir J. E. Smith to Mr Booth's 

 appeal : — 



Sir J. E. Smith to David Booth. 



"Norwich, Feb. 4, 1814. 



"Dear Sir, — The intelligence in your obliging letter of Jan. 

 24th is truly grievous. Your name has been mentioned to me 

 in the most respectful manner, and therefore I rely on your 

 goodness to perform what I wish for the benefit of our lamented 

 friend's family, and to excuse the trouble. I wrote immediately 

 to Mr Dawson Turner, Mr Lambert, Sir J. Banks, and the 

 Bishop of Carlisle. I have as yet an answer from Mr Turner 

 only, who, being in debt to Mr Don 4 guineas, has most 

 generously sent me ^"20 to pay it ! To this I am happy to 

 add ^5, which is all that my circumstances justify, as I have, 

 like our departed friend, sacrificed all to science, except what I 

 derive from a slender patrimony. 



