104 



To those who take an interest in sanitary science it must 

 be a matter for vivid regret that his labours on this novel 

 field of research were cut short just when they seemed to 

 promise important results. 



It remains to say a few words on such of Dr. Smith's 

 publications as are not of a scientific or professional charac- 

 ter. These are partly philosophical in their tendency, partly 

 literary or simply popular in character and in part treat of 

 antiquarian subjects for which Dr. Smith had a great liking, 

 and seem often to have been hastily penned to fill up a 

 leisure hour or at the request of friends. Many of them 

 were anonymous, but Dr. Smith's style and the current 

 of his thought were so original that to those who knew 

 him the disguise was only a thin one. One of the works 

 belonging to this class must not however be passed over 

 without special notice. During several years of the latter 

 portion of his life he was in the habit of spending his autumn 

 vacation on the shore of Loch Etive in Scotland, where he 

 employed himself — his active mind never being satisfied 

 without some special object to occupy it — in exploring this 

 part of his native country with a view of throwing some 

 light on its state in prehistoric times. The result was a 

 work which is not only instructive, but highly entertaining 

 in the best sense, called " Loch Etive and the Sons of Uis- 

 nach," a work which all should read who are interested in 

 prehistoric research and ethnology. Dr. Smith paid great 

 attention to Celtic languages and made a large collection of 

 works in Gaelic. These, with the rest of his books, have since 

 his death been presented to the library of Owens College. 



Dr. Smith was elected a member of this Society in the year 

 1844. For several years he acted as one of the secretaries 

 of the Society, subsequently he was elected a Vice-President 

 and during the sessions 1864 and 1865 he filled the post of 

 President. He at all times took a lively interest in the 

 welfare of the Society, and was always ready with advice 



