OBITUARY 280 



vented an active life. Nevertheless, with the aid of 

 numerous juvenile friends he managed to bring together 

 a very large collection of sea-weeds, the most important 

 of its kind ever made in South Africa. This was distri. 

 buted in sets to herbariums in all parts of the world. It 

 was for the purpose of completing his fine series of sea- 

 w^eeds, and at the same time helping generally the newly 

 established Botanical Survey of South Africa, that he 

 undertook what proved to be his final collecting ti4p: 

 he reached his destination on the Pondoland Coast, but 

 illness prevented much collecting and after a few months 

 he returned to Grahamstown. 



Willie Tyson was born at a Wesley an parsonage in 

 Jamaica, being son of the late Rev. Wm. Tyson. When 

 his father was appointed to Sheffield, young Tyson, then 

 about 11 years old, entered Wesley College, where he did 

 well, taking various prizes. He afterwards became a 

 medical student at the Leeds school, but was unable to 

 complete his studies owing to the onset of an affliction 

 (arthritis) that crippled him for life. This was a great 

 blow: it more or less embittered his outlook throughout 

 life, yet he retained an indomitable energy and great en- 

 thusiasm for work in science. He came out to South 

 Africa about 1874 and held various teaching posts at the 

 South African College, Cape Town, at Dale College, King 

 William's Town, and at the Grey Institute, Port 

 Elizabeth. In 1888 he entered the Civil Service of Cape 

 Colony, at first as clerk in the office of the Superintendent 

 of Woods and Forests. This gave him the opportunity 

 of travelling through the colonial forests along with his 

 chief, Cte de Vasselot de Regne. Ten years later he was 

 transferred to the Agricultural Department, and became 

 sub-editor of the Agricultural Journal, which was then 

 edited by Mr. Jas. Hellier. He retired from the service 

 in 1904. In 1910 he held a temporary appointment in 

 the Cape Government Herbarium, and before leaving 

 Cape Town worked for some time in the herbarium of 

 Dr. R. Marloth. 



