July 1899.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH ' 223 



In India, Dr. G. C. Wallich devoted himself to medicine, 

 not science. He served in the Sutlej campaign in 1842 

 and the Punjab campaign in 1847, and received medals 

 for each. In the Santal rebellion (1855-56) he held the 

 important position of field-surgeon. I heard him described 

 by an Indian contemporary as a first-rate medical officer, 

 but without any of his father's taste for botany. The 

 only paper published by him during this part of his career 

 was " 8ome experiments tending to prove that the venous 

 circulation is dependent on a vital act." 



In 1858 he retired on account of bad health, having 

 served twenty-two years in India. He resided two years in 

 Guernsey, recovered his health, settled in London, and 

 turned his attention to science, with such promise of 

 success that, in 1860, he was recommended by Huxley 

 and Sir lioderick Murchison for the post of naturalist to 

 H.M.8. " Bulldog," commanded by Sir Leopold M'Clintock. 

 This vessel was going to survey the Atlantic Ocean as a 

 preliminary to laying down the Atlantic cable. While on 

 board. Dr. Wallich made the important discovery that 

 abundant animal life exists below *the depth of a thousand 

 fathoms. This was contrary to the belief then entertained 

 by almost all scientific men. 



Soon after his return to London, Dr. Wallich published 

 " Notes on the presence of Animal Life at vast depths in 

 the Ocean"; and in 1862 he published the first part of 

 his great work, " The Atlantic Sea-bed." He afterwards 

 published in " The Magazine of Natural History," " The 

 Quarterly Journal of Microscopic Science," and other 

 scientific periodicals, many papers on the distribution and 

 life history of numerous forms of animal and vegetable 

 pelagic organisms. 



He took a prominent part in the Bathybius controversy. 

 Huxley and Ha?ckel believed that Bathybius Rceckelii, a 

 mixture of slime and lime brought up from the depths of 

 the sea during the cable-laying experiments, was the lowest 

 of known organisms. It was so described by Huxley in 

 1868, and by Ha^ckel in 1870. 



On the other hand, Sir John ]\Iurray contended that it 

 was only a gelatinous precipitate of sulphate of lime, pre- 

 cipitated from sea water mixed with alcohol. 



