JOHN JOSKPn BENNETT. 99 



laments the loss of one who from infancy upwards had been his best 

 and truest guide, counsellor, and friend. 



In 1827 Mr. Bennett received a special direction to his studies 

 through becoming associated with Robert Brown. In September of 

 that year, after negotiations, it was resolved that the Herbarium and 

 Library of Sir J. Banks should be transferred, in conformity with the 

 provisions of his will, to the trustees of the British Museum ; Mr. 

 Brown being appointed keeper, and obtaining the assistance of a bota- 

 nist in the work of the Herbarium. In the following month (Nov. 

 20) Mr. Bennett was appointed assistant- keeper. He immediately 

 entered upon his labours, and devoted his life to the pursuit of botany 

 under his friend and master ; nevertheless his previous studies 

 enabled him always to take an intelligent and interested outlook on 

 all departments of scientific investigation, and he was able to turn 

 this to practical use afterwards in the woik he performed for the Lin- 

 nean Society. He sought at this time admission to the Linnean 

 Society, and was formally received as a Fellow in Eebruary, 1828. 



The winter of 1827-28 was occupied in transf(^rring the Banksian 

 collections to Montague House, and in arranging the plants for the 

 use of students in the new rooms. It is hard to realise that at this 

 time and for eight more years all the work of the department, even 

 the merest manual drudgery, had to be perfoimed by Mr. Bennett 

 or Mr. Brown ; occasional and special assistance could only be 

 obtained. 



Admitted into terms of closest intimacy with Mr. Brown, and 

 assisting him in his work, Mr. Bennett caught his master's spirit. 

 Instead of rushing into print with every novelty, and communicating 

 to the world every first observation, like his early and life-long 

 friend Dr. Gray, he exhibits a dislike to print. But when at length 

 anything is published it is obvious that it is the result of an ex- 

 haustive investigation, in which every detail is minutely accurate, and 

 the views of previous authors are completely examined, and upon this 

 foundation a firm superstructure is cautiously and sagaciously erected. 

 As soon as the collections were placed in consultable order Mr. 

 Bennett must have begun to work with the plants collected in Java 

 by Dr. Horsfield. These plants had been examined and arranged by 

 R. Brown immediately after Dr. Horsfield's return to England in 181 9. 

 At that time Mr. Brown contemplated preparing an account of the 

 more remarkable novelties of the collection, but the increase of his 

 engagements and work consequent on his ofiicial relation with the 

 Museum prevented this. Dr. Horsfield committed the work to Mr. 

 Bennett, who undertook, with Mr. Brown's assistance, to complete 

 and carry it through the press. This important work, the first part of 

 which was published in 1838 and the final part in May, 1852, at once 

 placed Mr. Bennett in the front rank of systematic botanists. His his- 

 torical investigations were remarkable for their extent and completeness : 

 take, for example, his narrative of the published records of the Upas 

 tree, in which with searching logic he separates the fables from the 

 facts and presents the actual state of knowledge of this tree ; or his state- 

 ments of the numerous errors and misconceptions in regard to the 

 structure and classification of Gunnera. As specimens of minute 

 accuracy in details, with a philosophic apprehension of the bearing of 



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