LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDOK. XXXVll 



work published in 1855, entitled " Locke's Writings and Philo- 

 sophy." Mr. Tagart was for many years a Fellow of the Society 

 of Antiquaries and of the Geological Society ; but of late he most 

 delighted in the meetings of the Linnean, of which he was elected 

 a Fellow in 1852. Without contributing much to our publica- 

 tions or taking any prominent part in our discussions, he was con- 

 stant in his attendance, and thus became well known to us all ; 

 and his loss will be deeply felt by many of us, to whom he was 

 personally endeared by his genial character and his highly culti- 

 vated mind. His views were liberal and enlarged ; and he mani- 

 fested at all times an earnest zeal for the diffusion of science. 

 Returning from Hungary (on a visit undertaken at the instance 

 of the British and Foreign Unitarian Association) he was seized 

 with an aguish fever, and died suddenly at Brussels, on the 12th 

 of October last, in the 55th year of his age. 



Richard Taylor, JEsq., was born on the 18th of May, 1781, at 

 Norwich. He was the second son (of a family of seven) of John 

 Taylor, wool-comber, and Susan Cooke, and great-grandson of 

 Dr. John Taylor, the author of the celebrated ' Hebrew Concord- 

 ance.' His education was received at a day-school in Norwich, 

 kept by the Eev. John Houghton, whom he describes as an ex- 

 cellent grammarian and a severe disciplinarian. Under this able 

 tutor and his son, he made early and considerable progress in 

 classical learning, and also acquired some knowledge of chemistry 

 and other branches of natural philosophy. It seems to have been 

 the wish of the master that his pupil should proceed to the High 

 School of Glasgow (where he had himself received his education), 

 and there qualify himself for the ministry; but other counsels 

 prevailed, and, principally at the suggestion of Sir James Edward 

 Smith, the founder of the Linnean Society, and a very intimate 

 friend of his parents, he was induced to adopt the profession of a 

 printer — a profession to which he became ardently attached. On 

 Sir James Smith's recommendation, he was apprenticed to Mr. 

 Davis of Chancery Lane, London, a printer of eminence, from 

 whose press issued many scientific works of importance. During 

 this period of his life, his leisure hours seem to have been em- 

 ployed in the study not only of the classics, but also of the 

 mediaeval Latin and Italian authors, especially the poets, of whose 

 writings he formed a curious collection.* From these, his " old 

 dumps" as he was wont to call them, he derived great pleasure 

 to the last moments of his life. He also became a proficient 

 scholar in French, Flemish, Anglo-Saxon, and several of the 



