Nov. 1907. ] THE PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 353 
WILLIAM LOUDON, 
William Loudon was born at Musselburgh in 1830, and 
educated at Edinburgh Academy and Edinburgh University. 
In 1854 he went out to India in connection with the Revenue 
Survey, and in 1860 he was appointed Administrator-General 
of Bombay, an office which he held till his retiral in 1879, 
when he came to reside in Edinburgh. He tock a great 
interest in Indian plants, and his beautiful garden on 
Malabar Hill, Bombay, was well known and greatly admired. 
He possessed also a fine series of paintings of Indian plants, 
which he was always delighted to show to his friends. As 
indicating his keen interest in botany, it may be mentioned 
that on his return to Edinburgh he attended the lectures of 
the late Professor Dickson. His connection with the plants 
of India was curiously illustrated by a query which appeared 
some time ago in “ Notes and Queries” as to the origin of 
the name “ Willie Loudon,” which had been applied by the 
natives to an Indian plant. Sir George Birdwood answered 
the query by suggesting that probably it had some reference 
to William Loudon of Bombay. He was also interested in 
geology. He became a Fellow of the Society in 1889. For 
some years he had resided at York Road, North Berwick, 
where he died on 27th January 1907, in his 77th year. 
PERCIVAL COLIN WAITE. 
Percival Colin Waite, son of Percival John Waite, a 
London merchant, was born in London in 1859, and was 
educated at Amesbury in Wilts and at Harrow. A con- 
stitutional delicacy, which became apparent while he was a 
schoolboy, incapacitated him for following any profession. 
Having attended some lectures on botany by Professor 
Patrick Geddes at Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh, he 
became greatly interested in the study, and took the bronze 
medal for the year. He then undertook some work at Kew 
Gardens in photographing plants at the request of Professor 
Geddes. Thereafter he proceeded to the University of 
Montpelier in France, where he studied botany under 
Professor Flahault. After travelling some time abroad he 
returned to Scotland, and for a few years acted as Demon- 
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