92 THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 



Outside the domains of botany he was perhaps most interested 

 in geographical exploration, and for many years was an enthu- 

 siastic member and officer of the Victorian Branch of the 

 Geographical Society, in which capacity he was intimately 

 associated with many expeditions, such as, in recent times, those 

 of Giles and the still more recent Elder expeditions, whilst his 

 own explorations were of no mean order. His keen and almost 

 pathetic interest in the fate of Leichardt is well known to everyone 

 with whom he came in contact, while during the past few years, 

 his strongest wish in connection with exploration, and in the attempt 

 to realize which he spent much time and energy, has been to 

 see an Antarctic expedition fitted out by the Australasian colonies. 



In 1890 he presided over the first meeting of the Australasian 

 Science Association held in Melbourne, and those who listened 

 to his presidential address, and to whom perhaps he was mostly 

 known as a distinguished botanist, could not help being struck 

 with the breadth of his knowledge and the catholicity of his 

 interests. 



He was above all things an ardent student and investigator 

 and an indefatigable worker. For outward appearances, and even 

 for what would be to most men the ordinary comforts of life, he 

 cared absolutely nothing. So long as he could do his work he 

 was content, and though by no means physically robust, the 

 amount of work which he got through was something astounding. 

 His correspondence alone would have been work enough for any 

 ordinary man. In this respect he was most punctilious, and his 

 correspondents always knew that their efforts would be appreciated 

 and promptly acknowledged. Only ill-health would prevent 

 the answering of a letter or the acknowledgment of a specimen. 



The last meeting which he attended was the September one of 

 our club, and after so many years during which he has been 

 going in and out amongst us it is hard to realize that " the Baron," 

 as he was always called, has really passed away. At times we have 

 smiled at the quaintness of his speech and manner, but behind 

 this there has been the deep respect and admiration for the man 

 who devoted himself with such wholeheartedness to the work 

 which he carried out so well and so faithfully. The whole of his 

 income and all his means were expended either in private 

 generosity or in the furtherance of science work, and he died a 

 poor man. 



In recent years the Royal Society of London honoured him 

 with the award of one of their gold medals, and the French 

 Institute elected him a corresponding member, but none of the 

 honours justly given to him made the least difference in the 

 simple and friendly way in which he used to come in and out 

 amongst as, and it will be many years before we grow accustomed 

 to the absence of the once-familiar figure of the Baron. 



W. B. S 



