Sketch of the Life of the late Professor Edward Forbes. 49 



He commenced his lectures on 1st November, 1854, and gave 

 an introductory address, which has been found among his manu- 

 scripts, and will appear as a posthumous work in the January- 

 number of the Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal. He 

 lectured for five or six days, and entered seventy-one pupils in 

 his class roll. During all this time he complained more or less 

 of febrile symptoms. These at last increased so much that he 

 consulted Dr. Bennett, who at once ordered him to give up 

 lecturing. This he did on Thursday the 9th of November, in 

 the hope of being able to resume work on the Monday following. 



On Saturday the 11th, I received a note from him, in which 

 he enters fully into the reasons for not altering the hour of his 

 lecture, as had been proposed by some of his colleagues. He 

 very truly says, " For my own part I hold that to change any 

 hour of lecture after the arrangements of the session are com- 

 pleted and advertised, is both deleterious and unbusinesslike 

 * * *. The first consideration should be academical conve- 

 nience; the next, the propriety, if there are to be changes, of 

 announcing them a full session beforehand; the last, private 

 convenience/^ He concludes by saying, " I was too ill to venture 

 to the Botanical Society on Thursday.^' 



During his illness he was very anxious about the Journal, 

 and on Monday the 13th he wrote a note to me, in which he 

 says, " I am completely shattered for the moment, and don't 

 know how to get on with the Journal, being so ill. Could you 

 look in upon me and advise ? I am still in my bed.'' This is 

 probably the last note he wrote. 



I visited him on Tuesday, and found that he had been sufifer- 

 ing great pain, and although the violent symptoms were relaxed, 

 he was unable to converse with me. On Wednesday the 15th he 

 was rather easier and was able to give me directions about the 

 papers for the Journal ; spoke with great anxiety about his pupils 

 and his class, and gave a message to several of them. 



From that time the disease increased, and the symptoms be- 

 came of a very alarming nature. He was attended assiduously 

 by his old friend Goodsir, along with Dr. Christison and Dr. 

 Bennett ; but all medical skill was unavailing. On the evening 

 of Friday he gave his last directions, leaving his specimens to 

 the College Museum, at Edinburgh, and his papers to Robert 

 Godwin Austen, Esq. He continued to sink, and died at 5;^^ p.m. 

 on Saturday 18th November, being sensible to the last. 



In announcing this sad event at the Council Board, the 

 Lord Provost said it was his melancholy duty to notice the 

 removal from amongst them by death of Professor Edward 

 Forbes, one of the most distinguished ornaments of thtir Uni- 

 versity. Professor Forbes was appointed to the Chair of Natural 



Ann. ^ Mag. N. Hist. Ser. 2. Vol. xv. 4 



