174 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Sess. lxxvii. 



Breadalbane Mountains," 1 he refers to an accident he met 

 with on the summit of Craigalleach (upwards of 3000 

 feet high), when he had the misfortune to sprain his right 

 ankle severely, and " what I then suffered in the descent 

 and for two months after, would have cured many a one 

 of botanising for ever ; but somehow or other it only 

 tended to increase my enthusiasm, and thus prompted 

 me in the present season (1842) to revisit that glorious 

 mountain altar, and there offer up to heaven grateful 

 thanks for my recovery, and for the pure pleasure I 

 continued to enjoy from the love of Nature's work." 



Another experience is recorded by Hewett C. Watson, 

 long afterwards in 1866, with reference to that incident 

 alluded to in Gardiner's letter to his wife when he told 

 her how he and Watson and Edmonston had botanised 

 together at Clova. " We became enveloped in dense fog 

 and driving rain. We tried long to find a safe descent 

 down the rocks of Glen Dole, the head of Glen Clova, so 

 as to reach the stream which would have been our guide 

 to the inn some miles below, but were always foiled by the 

 steepness of the crags and the denseness of the fog. At 

 length, when nine o'clock came, it was too evident that 

 we must choose between remaining on the mountain top 

 all night, wet, weary, and famished, or striking down any 

 declivity, in order to reach the low country. We followed 

 a stream downwards, and shortly before midnight got 

 inside a shepherd's hut. Our kindly host rose from his 

 bed, made a fire, warmed some water, and mixed oatmeal 

 in it, thus giving us the most welcome meal perhaps that 

 I ever tasted." 



In the forties of last century Gardiner was leading a busy 

 life in Dundee, and although his fellow-townsmen might 

 not know of it, others outside the town were quite aware 

 of the work he was doing. In a letter Sir William 

 Jackson Hooker wrote him (2nd July 1844) thus: "I was 

 quite pleased to hear Lady Cornwallis speak so favour- 

 ably of your plants the other day, and of her desire to 

 encourage you. ... I saw from your letter how valu- 

 able your time was, and how well you were occupied, and 

 as I am in no hurry about the seven Rare Mosses, I shall 

 1 " Phytologist," 1843, pp. 468-476. 



