IN MEMORY OF HENRY TRIMEN. 491 



what is done in the National Herbarium. Dr. Trimen, as a loyal 

 servant of the Trustees, systematically recorded the progress of the 

 collections, and the importance of the records thus published is 

 shown by the fact that in such works as De Candolle's La Plujto- 

 grapJde this Journal is frequently cited as the source whence 

 information regarding the Museum collections has been derived. 

 Besides the work of editing, Dr. Trimen enriched the Journal with 

 numerous communications dealing with British plants from various 

 aspects, bibliographical and other matters, descriptions of new 

 genera and species, reviews of books, and the like. His work 

 throughout is characterized by extreme care. He did much to 

 elucidate the British species of such critical genera as P<jbjgonum 

 and Buniex, and in the latter genus he commemorated his friend 

 Mr. Warren by naming in his honour a form subsequently identi- 

 fied with /('. Knafii.-'- He also contributed to the Linnean Society's 

 Journal and to other periodicals ; fifty papers stand under his name 

 in the Royal Society's Catalogue of Scientific Papers. 



In 1872-3 Trimen took a leading part in the promotion of 

 certain reforms in the Linnean Society, of which body he had 

 become a Fellow in 18G6. The bringing about of these was 

 attended by a period of excitement rare in the annals of a learned 

 body. Some account of what took place may be found in the 

 Journal for these years ; and the result was in every way beneficial, 

 although in the course of the proceedings necessary to secure reform 

 certain regrettable incidents occurred. Those who remember the 

 formal meetings of pre-reformation days will agree that the contrast 

 between then and now is nothing short of startling. It is to Trimen 

 that we owe the small but important regulation by which the dates 

 of publication of each part of the Journal are printed on the back 

 of the title to each volume. 



In 1875 began the publication of what was in some respects 

 Trimen's most noteworthy work — Medicinal Phmts — which he under- 

 took in collaboration with Prof. Bentley. This was not concluded 

 until 1880, the last part having been published in February of that 

 year, after Trimen had left England for Peradeniya. This important 

 change in his career occurred in December, 1879, to the great regret 

 of his colleagues in the Museum. 



This seems a fitting place in which to pay a tribute to those 

 personal characteristics which made Trimen popular among a large 

 circle of friends. Bright and cheerful in manner, with a sufficient 

 sense of humour and a good acquaintance with general affairs and 

 literature, he was an extremely pleasant companion ; while as a 

 Museum official he was always courteous and helpful to enquirers, 

 and both ready and willing to impart the knowledge he possessed. 

 " His kind-hearted and cheerful nature," writes his brother, " with 

 his unflagging zeal and activity in the pursuit of his favourite 

 science, won him many faithful friends and associates — especially 

 when he held the post of Lecturer on Botany at St. Mary's Hospital, 

 and led his class in the field no less ably and enthusiastically than 



♦ See Journ Bot. 1896, 79. 



2 K 2 



