LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 9 1 



proceeded to Cambridge, as a student at Christ's College, and 

 in 1839 came out as 37tli wrangler in the Mathematical Tripos. 



On quitting Cambridge, he travelled during four years in 

 Europe, including Sicily, at that time but rarely visited by tourists. 

 In 1845 he was called to the Irish bar ; but, like a former Presi- 

 dent of this Society, Mr. Bentham, he did not enter on practice. 

 Tlie next year he was appointed Assistant Poor Law Commis- 

 sioner, just at the time of the outbreak of the Irish famine, caused 

 by the failure of the potato crop, and threw himself into his 

 duties with untiring energy till his health broke down in about 

 a year, and he was compelled to give up the post, and seek rest 

 abroad. 



He was reappointed in 1819 as second Commissioner, and 

 held it until his election as Liberal member for Carlow in 1852. 



Lord Palmerston gave him the post of Under Secretary of 

 State for the Colonies, and in this ofBce, which he retained for 

 two years, he was able to advance the claims of science in a w'ay 

 which is but too seldom done by those holding official positions. 

 At the general election in 1858 he stood for Limerick ; but the 

 Italian question, which had been for some time claiming public 

 attention, caused him to be defeated at the poll; he thereupon 

 retired from public life, and devoted himself to scientific studies. 

 In explanation of his rejection at Limerick, it must be remarked 

 that the Irish priesthood had long foreseen the coming struggle 

 for Italian unity, and had strictly enjoined upon their eougre- 

 gations the duty of discountenancing all supporters of it ; now 

 Ball had always been an ardent upholder of the national aspi- 

 rations in o])position to the prevailing feeling of his co-reli- 

 gionists, hence his failure to win the seat cannot be wondered at. 



The Alpine Club was founded in 1858, and the subject of these 

 remarks became its first president till 1860 ; he also acted as 

 editor of " Peaks, Passes, and Glaciers," the popularity of which 

 may be gauged by the fact that the first series went through four 

 editions. A far more important work, which was Ball's alone, 

 was his ' Guide to the Alps ; ' it came out in three volumes 

 in 1863-4-8, and. has been from the first recognized as a wonder- 

 fully true account of the Alpine mountain-chain, botli with 

 regard to the climbers' point of view, and the constant allusion 

 to topics of botanic and geologic interest. The precision of 

 his topographic knowledge is w^ell illustrated by an anecdote 

 which is told of him. At a time when the Italian troops were 

 foiled in their attack on a fort iield by the Austrians, Ball showed 

 how the position might be turned, a hint which was acted upon 

 with prompt success, and for which he received the thanks of the 

 Italian Government. 



In 1871 he went to Marocco with Sir Joseph Hooker and 

 Mr. Maw, and the account of the collections, worked up chiefly 

 by Mr. Ball, came out in the sixteenth volume of our Journal, and 

 must be considered as the author's most important productiou. 



