Feb. 1892.] THE BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH. 251 



extraordinaiy, being abreast of all that was going on in 

 Physics, Mechanics, Electricity, and Astronomy, as well as 

 in the Fine Arts, and all that was new in Politics and 

 Literature. He was elected one of the four Pioyal Honorary 

 Fellows of the Pioyal Society of London, 23rd November 

 187L 



In Brazil the Emperor was the soul of all that was done 

 for Education, Science, the Fine Arts, and Industry. At 

 his instance the Faculties of Medicine and Law, and the 

 Polytechnic, were endowed by the State, as were also the 

 Primary and High Schools throughout the empire. In 

 Kio de Janeiro he seldom failed to be at the periodical 

 examinations in these institutions, and, with the Imperial 

 family, was always present at the Academical Fetes of 

 conferring degrees and awarding prizes. He took particular 

 interest in a night " Lyceum of Arts and Trades," where 

 about sixty qualified gentlemen-volunteers in turn took 

 charge of, on an average, 400 boys and 300 girls, instruct- 

 ing them in French, English, Music (vocal and instrumental), 

 Drawing and Modelling, Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, 

 &c., as selected ; the object being to enable them to rise to 

 better positions in their respective callings. Besides this 

 general interest in popular education, the Emperor was ever 

 ready to help young men of marked ability, and frequently 

 sent them to Europe to complete their studies at his own 

 expense. He especially encouraged the study of Botany, in 

 establishing and endowing two public gardens — appointing 

 to the one a distinguished Belgian botanist, and to the other 

 a German ; and, at the same time, he initiated the publica- 

 tion of the great national work the " Flora Braziliensis," 

 which is not yet completed. It must not be omitted that, 

 besides the national observatory in Eio, which he frequently 

 visited, he had one of his own at his country palace, and 

 that he regularly sent his observations to Paris, having been 

 elected a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Sciences 

 in 1875. 



The Emperor was not only the chief promoter of Educa- 

 tion and Science, but was the leading spirit in every social 

 and material improvement. The abolition of slavery, in 

 spite of strong and persevering constitutional opposition, 

 would alone make his reign memorable. The material 



