LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. XXXI 



were extremely complete. This combination, however, was not 

 of high power, nor of large angular aperture ; and it was found 

 that these advantages could not be gained without the addition of 

 a second combination. Professor Amici, who had attempted the 

 construction of microscopic object-glasses as early as 1812, but, 

 despairing of success, had turned his attention to the application 

 of the reflecting principle to the microscope, resumed his original 

 labours on hearing of the success of MM. Selligues and Chevalier, 

 and, by working on their plan, he produced in 1827 an achromatic 

 combination of three pairs of lenses which surpassed anything of 

 the same kind that had been previously executed." 



Lucas Barrett, F.G.S., was born in London, on November 14, 

 1837, the son of Mr, George Barrett, a commercial gentleman. 

 He was educated at a private school at Eoyston, kept by INIr. Ash- 

 ton, and afterwards at University College School in Loudon, and 

 at Ebersdorf in Germany. Early in life he showed a great love 

 for the study of nature, and even when very young, never returned 

 from a visit to the country without being laden wdth flowers. His 

 recreation was not such games as amuse most boys, but, in place 

 of them, he spent his holidays in rambling about the woods and 

 fields in search of shells, fossils, insects, and plants. These 

 pursuits were invested with so much interest as to occupy his 

 whole mind ; and he soon acquired great proficiency in them, as 

 well as the power of deeply interesting his companions in similar 

 studies. 



In 1855 he accompanied Mr. R. MacAndrew in his yacht to 

 the north coast of Norway, for the purpose of assisting that 

 gentleman in dredgiug. In the same year he was elected a 

 Fellow of the Geological Society, at the exceedingly early age of 

 18 years ; and was selected by Professor Sedgwick to assist him 

 in the arrangement of the Woodwardian Mixseum at Cambridge. 

 The Professor remarks, in a letter recently published in the 

 Cambridge newspapers, that " Soon after Professor M'Coy, on 

 obtaining a scientific appointment at Melbourne, had left this 

 University, ]Mr. Barrett called on me : he had the look of a 

 sprightly iutelligent boy; and I was so captivated by his knowledge, 

 skill, and youthful zeal, that, without hesitation, and with much 

 joy, I secured his services, not as an Academic ofl&cer (for no ofiice 

 was vacant), but as my friend, assistant, and fellow- workman in 

 the Museum. Eight manfully, and with much skill, he went on 

 with the arrangement of our cabinets, refusing no labour, but 

 delighting in it. Nor was this labour small ; for very large additions 



