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time a botanist of distinction and the recognised authority of his 
day and of his country on the large and interesting family 
Orchidaceae. Mr. Rolfe arrived at the age of retirement last 
May, but though then 65 he seemed to be as vigorous and active 
as many a man considerably younger. In order that he might 
apply himself to some special work on his favourite group, an 
extension of service for one year was granted. There was good 
reason to hope that for many years to come, after his indefati- 
gable official career was ended,.he would be able to pursue the 
studies to which he had already devoted the best part of his 
life. However, at Christmastide last year his health suddenly 
failed, and after many weeks of illness, due it was eventually 
ascertained to a cerebral tumour, he passed away on April 13th, 
to the great grief of his family and friends. On April 18th, in 
the presence of a company which included many of the permanent 
Kew staff, he was laid to rest in Richmond Cemetery. Thus we 
have had the sad experience—the first of its kind in the history 
of Kew since the time of Sir William Hooker—of losing by 
death an old member of the established staff while still on active 
service. Many civil servants engaged in scientific or literary 
work anticipate retirement as an opportunity for undertaking 
or continuing some investigation or study which the pressure 
of official duties and routine had not permitted. Their leisure 
is spent in activities that have resulted in numerous valuable 
contributions to knowledge. Not a few of these contributions 
have come from Kew men in retirement, which happily in so 
many instances has been prolonged. We could expect from our 
knowledge of Mr. Rolfe’s habits and character that, had his life 
and health been spared, he would have attempted and achieved 
during the next few years a great amount of useful work. While 
deeply indebted to him for his many and distinguished services, 
and deploring the loss of the rich store of special information he 
had acquired, we have great cause for regret in being deprived 
of further fruits of his labours. This year he had contemplated 
a journey to Central America, mainly in the interests of orchid- 
ology, and a grant in aid had actually been voted by the 
Government Grant Board of the Royal Society. A visit to 
Vienna had also been projected, the purpose of which was to 
consult Reichenbach’s Herbarium preserved in the Hofmuseum. 
The twenty-five years during which the collections comprising that 
Herbarium were to remain sealed up, as directed by Reichenbach 
in his will, terminated on May 5th, 1914. The war intervening 
it had not been possible for Rolfe to go to Vienna as soon as the 
collections were accessible, but detailed preparations had been 
made for the visit. 
Robert Allen Rolfe was born at Ruddington, a village near 
Nottingham, on May 12th, 1855. He first came to Kew on 
April 7th, 1879, after spending some time in the Duke of Portland’s 
famous gardens at Welbeck Abbey, Notts. He had a predilection 
for botany, and won the post in the Herbarium after an examina- 
