202 The Irish Nainralist. October, 



distillery near Corporation Street, the former earning twelve 

 shillings, the latter two shillings a week. This did not 

 allow much chance for education, but Samuel used to attend 

 a night school for six weeks each winter at Sarum Methodist 

 Church, York Street. 



William then took over the trunk-making business from his 

 brother, and started with a capital of five pounds. His 

 daughter undertook the work of keeping the shop at the age 

 of fifteen^ while her father and brother continued to work at 

 the distillery. Later on her brother came to work in the 

 shop. They made trunks, bellows and other articles. 



Samuel had a boy companion with whom he " ran" at this 

 time, James Neill, a lad somewhat older than himself, clever 

 aiid intelligent and fond of country rambles. 



Ever}' Saturday he called for Samuel and they went ofif for ex- 

 peditions in the countr}^ and on Sundays when Sunday School 

 was over, and in this wa}^ thej^ explored together all the 

 neighbourhood, and the hills within reach of Belfast. In 

 after 3'ears it was their custom to meet once a 5'ear and go 

 over the Cave Hill in memor}' of old times. 



After this, Neill got a position in a flour mill. While there 

 he established a night school which was attended by Stewart, 

 and these seem to have been 3'ears of strenuous labour and 

 progress in Stewart's life, working by day in the shop, 

 where he was most skilful at his trade, especially in making 

 skin-covered trunks, studying in the evenings, and acquiring 

 that culture and knowledge of many subjects which was so 

 remarkable in later life, and on holidays and every occasion 

 which could be snatched from work or stud}- hastening to the 

 hills and open country he loved so well. 



Stewart was a most remarkable instance of a self-educated 

 man, without school or college training, without means. In 

 spite of many difficulties at home instead of encouragement, 

 he acquired an excellent general education, and learned to 

 write such good and idiomatic English (as for instance in the 

 introduction to his Flora), as many so-called well educated 

 people might env3^ 



The years i860 and 1S61 were fruitful in determining 

 definitely the set of his life and leading him to devote him- 

 self entirely to the pursuit of natural science Mr. William 

 Swanston, a close friend of Stewart's since 1865, says :— " We 



