LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON". 59 



" A small dinner-party in their rooms (at 91 Victoria Street) on 

 2nd March (1855) was arranged with Professor T. Bell, President 

 of the Linnean Society, and Dr. Hooker, to discuss starting an 

 octavo journal on behalf of the Society. This was ultimately 

 achieved, but with great opposition from J. J. Bennett, the 

 Secretary, and Eobert Brown, opposition which made Bentham 

 almost hopeless of success. The custom then was to issue one 

 part of the Transactions annually, and the idea of a quarterly 

 journal to those trained in the leisureliness of Kobert Brown, was 

 novel and distasteful." 



In this connection the following letter to Dr. Daydon Jackson, 

 the last which Hooker wrote to the Society, though it refers to a 

 trivial matter, will be read with interest. It is dated July 13, 

 1911. 



" I have just received from Linn. Soc. a most interesting 

 number for me. I had no idea that 70 years ago I had gutted the 

 Falkland Islands botanically so thoroughly. 



"But my chief object in writing is to ask whether it might not be 

 expedient to have the edges of the leaves of the Journal cut before 

 issue ? The time and temper it costs me to cut the leaves of the 

 many books I have to read is I fear registered against me aloft, 

 and, in these days of innumerable books that one must read, 

 it would be a mercy to have the leaves cut, of which the 

 (Geographical, Koyal, and Statistical Societies' Journals set good 

 examples." 



The suggestion as to the cutting of the leaves of the Journal 

 was at once adopted by the Council. 



As we have seen, Hooker in retirement maintained his activity 

 to the last, and the output of this period alone would have been a 

 creditable record for an ordinary man. His interest in the 

 progress of botany was unabated and the men of younger genera- 

 tions derived much encouragement from his kindly sympathy and 

 frank criticism. Although ni. retirement, no one ever dreamt of 

 thinking of Hooker as on the shelf ; he was always consulted 

 when anything important was afoot, and he remained to the last 

 by universal acclaim the greatest of living botanists. 



Of public honours a goodly share was showered upon Hooker, 

 the most notable perhaps being the Copley Medal of the Eoyal 

 Society (1887), and the Order of Merit (1907). From this 

 Society he received one of the first two Liunean Medals in 

 1888 — the other going to Owen — and in 1897 a Medal struck 

 to commemorate his 80th birthday. He was also the recipient 

 of one of our Darwin- AVallace Medals on the occasion of the 

 celebration held by this Society in 1908 — at which celebration he 

 was present and played a leading part. 



For the list of papers contributed by Sir Joseph Hooker to the 

 publications of this Society, herewith appended, I am indebted to 

 the courtesy of Dr. Daydon Jackson. I have to thank my father. 



