XX ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



office. At the same time he fitted up a room at home, as a laboratory, 

 in which he made himself familiar with the practical side of chemistry. 

 In the evenings he walked three miles to attend lectures in chemistry 

 at the Andersonian University, in Glasgow. Two years later he obtained 

 a position in McClintock's Chemical Works, near Pollockshaws ; and, 

 after four years' experience there, he accepted a position in tiie Modum 

 Smelting Works at Drammen, Norway. Desiring to possess a more 

 systematic knowledge of the natural sciences than his arduous self study 

 liad enabled him to acquire, he went to Freiberg, where he attended 

 the School of Mines, and obtained a degree in Engineering. Here he 

 made the acquaintance and won the friendship of many celebrated sci- 

 entific men, notably of Professor Clemens Winckler, with whom he main- 

 tained close, friendly relations until death. 



While at Freiberg, the Director of the Modum Smelting Works at 

 Drammen, died, and the position was offered to Mr. Macfarlane, and 

 accepted. It is worthy of remark that a position of this kind, requiring 

 not only technical knowledge, but the ability to manage a large business, 

 and to control men, was offered to a young Scotchman, who, but four 

 or five years previously, was acquainted with no other language than 

 his mother tongue. The truth is that Mr. Macfarlane possessed a very 

 remarkable facility in acquiring languages. AVhile in Norway, he inter- 

 changed lessons in English for lessons in Norwegian, with the Lutheran 

 pastor; and in a similar manner, he acquired a thorough and practical 

 knowledge of Swedish, Danish, German and French. Especially in 

 German was he thoroughly at home; and had made himself familiar 

 not alone with the language, but with the literature of Germany. The 

 masterpieces of Lessing, Goethe, Schiller, and others, he was able to 

 quote to purpose, on every occasion, and with keen appreciation of their 

 beauty and forcefulness. 



Mr. Macfarlane came to Canada in 1860, as manager of the Acton 

 Copper Mine, and the Capelton Mine, in the Eastern Townships. In 

 1865 and 1866 he was employed, under Sir William Logan, on the 

 Geological Survey of Canada. In 1868 he was emploA^ed by the Mont- 

 real Mining Company to examine the company's property on Lake 

 Superior, and was the discoverer of the celebrated Silver Islet Mine. 

 Later, he examined mining locations in Colorado, Utah, Nevada and 

 Ecuador, S.A. 



In 1886 he was appointed Chief Analyst to the Department of 

 Inland Revenue of Canada, an office which he held until his death, 

 on the 10th of June, 1907. 



To every official position held by him, Mr. Macfarlane brought 

 the intelligence of a keen and thoroug^hly trained mind, and the con- 

 scientiousness of profound Christian conviction, together with the energy 



