ZOOLOGICAL AND BOTANICAL ASSOCIATION. 15 



amount of salary, where only one had been before. This was a grievous 

 injury, and he waited on Sir William Gosset, Under Secretary, who 

 acknowledged the hardship, but said that a compensation for imme- 

 diate injury was given by the better ultimate prospect of £800 per an- 

 num. Thus ho was again dissuaded from seeking a professional 

 education. 



Neither office-work nor official vexations could quite chill his efforts. 

 The mind would be at work; and a letter addressed to the very Rev. 

 the Dean of St. Patrick's contains the expression of opinions, which, 

 though generally received now, were, a quarter of a century ago, re- 

 garded as questionable. 



" I have often thought how much the cause of true religion would 

 be strengthened by the support of science, in such cases as it is appli- 

 cable to it, leaving the portions of Revelation that are beyond human 

 reasoning to themselves. And much have I felt how it has suffered 

 by attempts to make demonstrably true science bow to the letter, not the 

 spirit of Scripture; a practice which I believe has often made the youth- 

 ful philosopher an infidel, for, satisfied that his teacher is wrong in 

 some instances, he is too apt to presume that he is wrong in all." 



A letter to a relative (1833) says, in speaking of Kirby and Spence's 

 "Entomology:" — " The two first volumes may be read with interest even 

 by that diseased creature, a novel-reader, provided the malady be not 

 of long standing ; the other two are more serious affairs, but will amply 

 repay the labour of studying them, and leave the mind charged with a 

 quantity of matter capable of affording enjoyment for the longest life." 

 The letter graphically compares the " out-and-out novel-reader" to a 

 dram-drinker, and dwells on the injurious mental effects of reading de- 

 voted too exclusively to common works of fiction. In 1832 he became 

 a member of the Geological Society of Dublin. In June, 1834, he 

 enjoyed a holiday excursion with Mr. Thompson to Arran, visiting, 

 before his return to town, Killarney, Cork, and YoughaL Many obser- 

 vations then made by these brother naturalists and friends were duly 

 recorded by Mr. Thompson, and eventually published. 



While, however, his Castle duties went on daily, he was gradully 

 becoming known outside of the " office." His retiring habits did not 

 prevent his information and abilities from being recognised by those 

 who were able to estimate them aright. Such men were soon converted 

 into personal friends, who were glad to draw him into their scientific 



