63 PEOCEEBINGS OP THE 



He was also a firm friend and a wise counsellor, whose keen sense 

 of humour and genial kindness were alone sufficient to ensure 

 popularity. Apart from the record left by his work in the annals 

 of Science, his memory will be cherished by his fellow-workers 

 as that of a friend, beloved as well as honoured. 



Iis" the death of Walter Hood Fitch the present generation 

 has to mourn the loss of a botanical artist whose productions are 

 almost inseparably connected with the memories of the botanists 

 noAV living and of the magnificent activities of Kew. 



Born at Glasgow in 1817 on 28th February, young Fitch was 

 in early years set to work designing patterns for textile fabrics, 

 filling up his leisure by gluing down plants for the recently 

 appointed Professor, Dr. William Hooker, who was so struck by 

 some copies of outline plants he made from a volume which had 

 been lent, that he paid for the release of Fitch from the print- 

 works where he was serving his indentures. 



Henceforward Fitch was associated with Sir William Hooker 

 in his botanical publications, and in the 'Botanical Magazine' his 

 name first appears in 1834. He migrated with Sir William to Kew 

 in 1841 ; and in that place he ended his days on January 14th, 

 1892. 



It would be a long task to recite all the botanical works which 

 were illustrated by Fitch's ready and truthful peucil ; not only 

 a very large number of the ' Botanical Magazine ' plates were his, 

 but those also for the ' Icones Plantarum,' the quartos of Sir 

 Joseph Hooker of his 'Antarctic Travels,' the folios of ' Victoria 

 Eegia,' of Elwes's monograph of Liliiim, the ' Illustrations of 

 Himalayan Plants,' and Seemann's ' Herald ' and ' Flora Vitiensis ;' 

 while our own Transactions and Journals afford ample proofs of 

 the deceased artist's power. 



He became Fellow 7th April, 1857; his botanical commemo- 

 ration is to be found in Fitchia, a Comj)Osite. He leaves a widow 

 and several sons, one of whom has already drawn several plates 

 for our Journal ; and a nephew, whose connexion with the 

 artistic work of the Society is of very long standing. 



Col, James Augustus Geant Avas a son of the Eev. James 

 Grant, the parish minister of Nairn, where he was born on April 

 11th, 1827. He received his education at the Grammar School 

 of Aberdeen and the Marischal College. In 1846 he was 

 gazetted Ensign in the Sth Native Bengal Infantry, present at 

 the siege of Multan in 1847, and the battle of Gujerat in the 

 next year. In 1857, his regiment having mutinied, he was 

 attached to the force under General Havelock for the relief of 

 Lucknow, was wounded while in command of the rear-guard, and 

 was blockaded in that place for two months ; the following year 

 he was sent home on sick leave. 



On his return to this country he found his old friend Captain 



