72 PEOCEEDIlfGS OF THE 



and Literary Society. On 6th June, 1872, he was elected a 

 Pellow of our Society. 



Chaeles Feedeeick "White was born at Poplar, February 

 12th, 1818, and was the son of Charles George White, who was 

 associated in partnership with the late Mr. Geo. Pred. Young, 

 M.P., in a prominent shipbuilding firm at Liraehouse. Mr. 

 White, sen., was a man of wide information and much taste, an 

 original member of the Microscopical Society, who served on its 

 Council in 1846, a diligent collector of wood specimens, fossils, 

 etc., and also an excellent water-colour artist and exhibitor 

 in the Eoyal Academy. Charles Fred. White and his father 

 belonged to the little group of scientific men who met at each 

 other's houses for microscopic study, and whose meetiugs led to 

 the organization of the Eoyal Microscopical Society. Among 

 those with whom our late Fellow associated in those early days 

 were Ward, Bowerbank, and David Cox, the artist. He used to 

 speak with pleasure of having met Ebrenberg at one of the 

 gatherings in question. 



Many years ago Mr. White commenced the drawings in water- 

 colours and in microscopic detail of the British Mosses, and this 

 work was prosecuted with ardour until every accessible species 

 had been delineated with remarkable skill. He then worked 

 assiduously at Microscopic Fungi, accumulating a large number 

 of exact drawings of these plants. But his great work, on 

 which several of his later years were actively spent, cousisted of 

 the careful study, and drawing to a scale of j-J-q diameters, of 

 Pollens, with which he probably made himself more familiar than 

 any other botanist ; in tbis he was greatly aided by the kindness 

 of Sir Joseph Hooker, the Kew houses yielding him a constant 

 supply of little-known and interesting forms. Mr. White 

 exhibited a number of drawings of Pollens at our meeting on the 

 2nd of Marcb, 1882, and at the soiree given by Sir John Lubbock, 

 our President, on the 28th of the same month, a very extensive 

 series of these drawings was displayed in the Library and 

 attracted marked attention. 



His only contribution to our publications w^as a short paper 

 of great inlerest on the Pollen of Papaver Irom the funeral 

 garland of an Egyptian Princess ; on this occasion, Mr. White's 

 unrivalled acquaintance with this branch of botanical research 

 was commented on with much appreciation by Sir John Lubbock, 

 Sir J. D, Hooker, and others. He subsequently commenced 

 notes for a general paper on Pollens, but the condition ot his 

 health prevented him from carrying out his intention. It is 

 deplorable that one who knew so much should have written so 

 little. In addition to the beautiful and valuable series of Moss, 

 Fungus, and Pollen drawings already named, Mr. White has 

 left behind a large number of microscopic slides, mounted by 

 himself. He possessed a small collection of chalk fossils Irom 

 the original quarry at Limehouse. 



