134 HENKY BOSWELL, 



" Eeport for 1883," in which he says: " Our best thanks are due to 

 Mr. Boswell, who, as an acknowledged authority all over Europe, 

 has freely given us a large portion of his time and skill in naming 

 and arranging the large collection of Mosses. One instance of his 

 work will suffice, viz. the identification and arrangement of a large 

 cabinet of mosses sent to us by the University of Dublin for this 

 purpose ; this work he has now completed." The Mosses and 

 Hepatics in the herbarium at the Botanical Gardens at Oxford were 

 arranged by Mr. Boswell with the accuracy and neatness charac- 

 teristic of him. 



In 1881 Mr. Boswell received the high distinction of being made 

 a Master of Arts, honoris causa, by the University of Oxford. Mr. 

 Boswell was one of the few citizens, actually in business in the 

 city, to whom such a degree has been granted. 



I made Mr. Boswell's acquaintance in 1880, shortly after I took 

 up my residence in Oxford. Even at this time field-work had lost 

 some of its charms, but in 1883 he visited South Wales in company 

 with his old friend, the Kev. A. Ley, whose walking powers were a 

 little beyond his own. His characteristic neatness was manifested 

 in his packets of mosses, which were arranged with scrupulous care. 



Boswell had an extensive correspondence among British bota- 

 nists, and was in communication with Geheeb and Schimper. He 

 was an excellent letter-writer, as his letters in the Wilson corre- 

 spondence (preserved in the Natural History Museum) show. It 

 may be of interest to publish one of these, as illustrating his range 

 and methods of work. 



-n Q- Oxford, Aug. 29th, 1864. 



Dear bu', *=> 



Your letter of Saturday remiuds me that I have too long 



delaj-ed writing to you, through pressure of various business. Since my 



visit to Kew I have again had to be in London as well as in Heading, &c. 



I and my friend Miss Mihie (who had a letter of introduction from 



Mr. Croall) spent two days at Kew, which we much enjoyed. We did 



not see Sir William, but Dr. Hooker was very civil and kind. He 



moreover gave me a number of New Zealand and Indian mosses, which 



have occupied all my leisure time since then, but the Indian ones are not 



named, only numbered ; and, to a letter I wrote him, asking if there were 



any published names or catalogue to correspond, I have received no reply. 



In a former letter of yours, referring to some other New Zealand 

 Mosses and Hepatieoe, you spoke of having found a scrap of Polyotus ■•' 

 among them " which might possibly be new." Is the enclosed the 

 species referred to ? I meant to have sent it to yoix before, but I forgot 

 it when writing. I send with it another — a Hypnum,\ apparently 

 of the hiaiis group, but which I have not yet had under the microscope. 

 Do you know it ? 



These Indian and other mosses have cpiite prevented me from 

 studying the new Fissidens riq^estris. This morning I have spent half 

 an hour comparing the leaves, and I confess I do not see much difference 

 between them, but this perhaps is my own fault. However, I at present 

 find nothing in the way of clear characters — no other difference than 



* [This was, according to Wilson's note, P. claviyerus Gottsche, var. a. — 

 Ed. Joukn. Bot.] 



t [Wilson notes that this was a Eacomitrhnn. — Ed. Jourx. Box.] 



