OBITUARY. 237 



Chair of Botany at Edinburgh University from 1845 to ^879. 

 Sir Isaac began his studies at Edinburgh University at the age 

 of 17, and by 1873 had graduated in both Arts and Science and 

 gained the Vans Dunlop Scholarship. He still continued his 

 studies for the M.B., CM., and in that year he would no doubt 

 have accompanied the Challenger expedition had a botanist 

 been attached to the staff, but his chance for the exploration of 

 tropical vegetation came very soon. As a member of the 

 Transit of Venus expedition he visited Rodriguez in 1874, and 

 some few years later — in 1879 — ^e had explored another 

 oceanic island, Socotra, adding by his discoveries hundreds of 

 species new to science. After his first expedition he resumed 

 his studies in medicine, and, in addition, during 1875-76 acted 

 as assistant to Huxley, who was then lecturer in place of 

 Wyville Thomson, In 1876 he acted as substitute for the 

 Professor of Botany during his father's illness, and still found 

 time to act as dresser with Lister. In 1877 he was assistant to 

 Wyville Thomson and graduated M.B., C.M. The following 

 two years were devoted to teaching and research. In 1879 he 

 became Professor of Botany in the University of Glasgow, and 

 during his tenure of the Chair re-organised or put in train for 

 further and subsequent organisation much in the way of accom- 

 modation and equipment that has proved to be of lasting 

 benefit. In 1884 he was elected Sherardian Professor of Botany 

 at the University of Oxford, and here again his tenure of office 

 was marked by constructive work which has proved to be of 

 lasting benefit to Oxford. The obsolete and neglected Botanic 

 Garden was remodelled and brought up to date. But of greater 

 importance was the relations he was able to establish with the 

 Clarendon Press. His literary genius, his wonderful capacity 

 for recognising and gauging ability in others, coupled with his 

 great gifts for organisation, enabled him, with the aid of a group 

 of botanists, to induce the Clarendon Press to found the world- 

 famous Annals of Botany^ a quarterly journal, beautifully printed 

 and profusely illustrated, which is now in its thirty-eighth volume 

 and ranks as the leading botanical journal of the present time. 

 The Press also at his instigation published a long series of 

 translations of the standard books of other countries, necessary 

 for the study of botany in English-speaking countries. 



In 1888, at the age of 35, he was promoted to his father's 

 Chair as Regius Professor of Botany and Keeper of the Royal 



