LINNEAN SOCIETY OF LONDON. 41 



CyperaceiB iu A. Chevalier's " Xovitates liorse Africanse " iu Bull. 

 Soc. Bot. Fr. liv. (1907) Mem. 8, pp. 26-29. Two treatises oa 

 Malayan Acanthacese are to be issued this autumn, the first in the 

 ' Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,' and the second in our 

 own 'Journal.' 



He was President of our Society from 1894 to 1896, and served 

 on our Council almost continuously from 1880-1906, and Vice- 

 President similarly from 1881-1905. Assiduous iu his attendance, 

 he was ever ready to bear his part in the discussion of papers read 

 before the Society ; and his wide and long experience of men 

 enabled him to intervene with peculiar and happy results. He 

 was a delightful man iu private talk, ready and willing to converse 

 on various matters, scientific, litei-ary, or controversial. This is 

 not the place to enlarge on his ultra-scientific labours ; but he 

 wrote and distributed many pamphlets on topics of the day, and 

 took a very active part in electioneering for Henry Pawcett. An 

 irksome delay on one of his Indian journeys was beguiled by his 

 sitting down to compile an arithmetic book for Bengalis ; and he 

 also drew up manuals of geography for school use. The large 

 output to be credited to him was due to his writing much of his 

 work in the evening ; but this did not prevent his being up 

 betimes the next morning, for a run before breakfast. In the 

 last few years he had taken to bicycling, and his favourite course 

 was a spin round liiclimond Park. He was a sturdy and almost 

 tireless rider ; ouce mounted he would ride to Andover, 60 miles, 

 without dismounting, yet he never acquired a mastery of his 

 machine. He could not look round, raise his hand from the 

 handles, or get on or off on the level. He never rode except in 

 broad daylight, and never carried a lamp, bell, or brake on his 

 machine : yet he never had a serious mishap. 



He was elected a Pellow of our Society, 5th December, 1867 ; 

 of the Eoyal Society in 1882 ; and of tlie Geological Society in 

 1868. Next to botanising, he enjoyed the excursions of the 

 Geologists' Association, where his powers of walking were shown 

 to advantage. His character is well epitomised in the sympathetic 

 notice contributed by an intimate friend to the ' Journal of 

 Botany ' for November last (p. 375), where it is said : — " Clarke, 

 particularly as he advanced in years, became very catholic as 

 regards channels of publication. His earlier papers are frequently 

 piquant, not to say pungent, as well as clear. He grew old with 

 inlinite grace ; and v^hile the pungency largely disappeared from 

 his contributions, the lucidity remained. The kindest of men, 

 the most modest and the most unselfish, he was always ready to 

 help others, was a charming host, and a staunch friend." In the 

 same memoir is the latest portrait taken of our deceased Fellow, 

 which is strikingly like, though it did not please the sitter ; it is 

 fall face, and without spectacles, which may account for this 

 judgment, as it must be remembered that Clarke's sight, though 

 very strong, was very short. 



The writer recalls the painful shock when, travelling home from 

 his summer holiday in the north, he procured a London news- 



