May 23, 1859.] OBITUARY.— MEYER— BROWN. 237 



Some English readers will find an interest in perusing, viz., the 

 correspondence of our Elizabethan divines with the Swiss reformers, 

 which will, I understand, be published by the Parker Society under 

 the name of Zurich Letters. M. Meyer was the author of the 

 * Erdkunde der Schweiz,' and the projector of, as well as largely a 

 contributor to, that instructive work the 'Gemalde der Schweiz,* 

 of which nineteen volumes have been published. 



Egbert Brown. — At the head of the men of British science who 

 have been taken from us since the last Anniversary, I at once place 

 the name of that eminent Scotchman, Eobert Brown, who, having 

 earned for himself the title of the " Prince of Botanists," had won, 

 at the same time, our kindest remembrance for having taken an 

 active part in the foundation of this Society. 



Born at Montrose in 1773 (his father being the Episcopalian 

 minister of that place), young Brown there received his early 

 education, which was completed by a course of studies in the 

 Universities of Aberdeen and Edinburgh. From 1795 to 1799 he 

 served as assistant-surgeon, with the rank of ensign, in a Eegiment 

 of Scottish Fencibles ; and it was in the last-mentioned year (after 

 the Irish Eebellion was quelled) that, during a leave of absence, 

 he was kindly befriended by Sir Joseph Banks, who shortly after 

 proposed to him to become the naturalist of that world-wide 

 scientific expedition which, sailing in 1801, and returning in 

 1805, enabled our deceased member to make collections, dis- 

 coveries, and comparisons in Australia and other distant lands, 

 which threw an entirely new light on the geographical distribu- 

 tion of vegetable life. 



As the late President of the Eoyal Society has already pointed the 

 attention of men of science to the chief works of Eobert Brown, 

 and as, doubtless, his memory will be still more minutely scanned 

 by the President of the Linnean Society, of which body he was the 

 main-stay for many years — whether as Librarian, Secretary, Vice- 

 President, or President — it is unnecessary that I should on this 

 occasion enumerate all those publications on which his fame rests. 

 For these works he received numerous distinctions, having been 

 elected an honorary member of every academy in Europe, including 

 that eminent scientific honour, of being one of the eight Foreign 

 Associates of the French Academy of Sciences ; whilst he had also 

 received from the Eoyal Society the highest distinction of that body 

 — the Copley Medal. 



In reference to our own Society, let me say that, in 1830, 



