HARRY BOLUS, 



D.Sc, F.L.S. 

 (1834-1911.) 



Harry Bolus was born in Nottingham on April 28th, 1834. 

 He was the second son of Joseph Bolus, a business man of that 

 town and a Unitarian. He received his early education in the 

 Nottingham Castle Gate School under Mr. George Herbert. 

 At the age of 1^^ he came to South Africa as an apprentice 

 articled to Mr. William Kensit, a merchant of Grahamstown, 

 and a friend of his schoolmaster, through whom the connection 

 was established. At school he is known to have been a diligent 

 and successful student and a favourite with his teacher. The 

 instinct of the collector appears to have been developed early. 

 While still at school he collected various natural objects, but 

 was more particularly interested in insects. A much-used copy 

 of the 1848 edition of W. B. Carpenter's " Animal Physiology," 

 believed to have been presented to him by Mr. Herbert, is pre- 

 served in his library. There is still in existence a signed copy 

 of a compact made between Bolus and two of his schoolfellows 

 with regard to the ordering of their lives. They contract not to 

 use alcohol nor tobacco until they severally attain the age of 21 

 years. They accept the principle that 



" next to moral and religious duties the pursuit of science is one of the 

 noblest objects that can engage the attention of the human mind," 



and proceed to apportion to each a particular line of study, the 

 pursuit of which he promises to make one of the objects of his 

 life. Botany falls to one of them, but not to Bolus, who under- 

 takes as his subject " The Terrestrial Sphere as exhibiting in its 

 history, structure and preservation the omnipotence of its 

 Creator." This document is signed in 185 1 — after Bolus had 

 left England for South Africa. In this case a love for Botany 

 was not to be developed until he reached more mature years, 

 l)ut already in his schooldays he feels the appeal of the phenomena 

 of Nature. 



On the voyage to South Africa he kept a diary primarily 

 for the information of his mother. It is a small octavo volume 

 of rather more than a hundred pages of manuscript, among 

 which are a few excellent pencil sketches. It is written in that 

 bold and neat hand which, but slightly altered in character, 

 became so familiar to his many botanical correspondents of later 

 years. It is entitled " Journal of a Voyage to the Cape of Good 

 Hope in the Barque lone, 300 tons, J. C. Gales. Commander, 

 bound to Algoa Bay." On' Wednesday, 12th December, 1849, 

 the Jane was " hauled out of the Wapping Basin, London Docks, 

 at 12.30 p.m." 



