LTNNEAK SOCIETY OF LONDON. 73 



his opiuiou, shoixld unite a competent knowledge of anatomy, 

 physiology, and of cryptogamie plants, to skill as a classifier and 

 describe!' of Phanerogams." Happily he was persuaded, and in 

 great measure by Sir William Hooker, to continue his botanical 

 work; and in 1S55 he seltled down to the course of hfe which 

 witli uudeviating devotion he pursued till within a short time of 

 his death, thirty years later. 



Every day, with the brief intervals of vacation, he worked at Kew 

 from TO to i. Latterly he was in the habit of reserving Thursday 

 for his own affairs, though during his eleven years of tenure of 

 office as President of this Society the best part of that day was 

 devoted to its business. His method was to work during the 

 hours spent at Kew continuously, making copious notes. In the 

 evening he wrote out the work of each day in its final form ready 

 for the printer. These habits of intense concentration no doubt 

 were the foundation of that aspoct of reserve which gradually 

 replaced the buoyancy of his earlier years. Plis uncle under- 

 went a similar change. Eegarding " general society as a waste 

 of time," he obtained in the popuhir estimation the reputation 

 of a morose \isionary. The world was in error in both cases, 

 and mistook a persistent consciousness of purpose for a constitu- 

 tional defect of geniality. In society it would be diHicult to 

 imagine a more charming companion thanBentham. To the dis- 

 tinction of high-bred courtesy he added a vast knowledge of the 

 most interesting European society of his earlier years. One 

 cannot but regret that no permanent record remains of the fund 

 of anecdote and reminiscence vshich he could pour out so 

 effectively. 



After the completion of the 'Hong Kong Elora ' (1861), with 

 which he inaugurated the series of works descriptive of the vege- 

 tation of our colonies which had been planned at Kew by Sir 

 William Hooker, the remainder of his life was devoted to the 

 two great works, both of which he lived to complete, the ' Elora 

 Australiensis ' and the ' Genera Plantarum.' These he carried 

 on simultaneously. 



The ' Elora Australiensis ' (18G3-1870), in seven volumes, de- 

 scribes about 7000 species, and is the first flora of any large 

 continental area that has ever been finished. It is a work which 

 alone would found a reputation. Its method of execution is 

 such as to embarrass as little as possible those who are able to 

 make additions to it. Bentham would never go beyond the evi- 

 dence before him ; but what he grasped is presented with admi- 

 rable lucidity and accuracy. The publication of the ' Genera 

 Plantarum ' was commenced in 18G2 and concluded in 1883, " the 

 greater portion of it," being, as Sir Joseph Hooker tells us, " the 

 product of Bentham's indefatigable industry." What that in- 

 dustry was I can best illustrate to you by a story which is one 

 of the traditions of the Kew Herbarium. Bentliam had com- 

 pleted, after much assiduous labour, his elaboration of the 



