Obituary Notices. 21 



sciences. But it was in meteorology and astronomy that 

 he took the deepest interest, and on which he bestowed 

 most labour. He was most faithful and diligent in dis- 

 charging all the duties that he undertook, and hence as a 

 country gentleman he was pointed and regular in his 

 attendance at county meetings. As chairman of the School 

 Board he w^as never absent from a meeting when at home, 

 and so, as we might expect, the meteorological observa- 

 tions at Culloden were carried on by him without a single 

 day's interruption from 1841 down to the month of March 

 of the present year. It was by the advice of the late 

 Sir David Brewster and Professor James D. Forbes that 

 his attention was first specially drawn to these studies. 

 The observations taken by Mr Forbes during that long 

 period with such remarkable accuracy, are of great value, 

 and the results when published, which will shortly be the 

 case, will possess more than ordinary interest, establishing 

 as they do many important and interesting facts relating 

 not only to the climate but also to the changes of seasons in 

 the northern parts of Scotland. He was a member of the 

 Meteorological Societies of Scotland and London, and con- 

 tributed from time to time many results of the more 

 valuable and important of his observations to these societies 

 as well as to the Eoyal Observatory at Greenwich. The 

 researches connected with the British Eain-fall, so long 

 and so ably conducted by Mr Symons of London, also re- 

 ceived the benefit of his results. He was likewise fond of 

 antiquarian pursuits, and took a deep interest in Druidical 

 Circles ; he also determined one of the Pictish marches to 

 have crossed from the Moray Firth to Drummossie. He 

 carefully preserved all relics of Culloden, and the portion 

 of the battlefield where the Highlanders were buried is 

 left unplanted and enclosed. 



He was most persevering in whatever he undertook, and 

 generally succeeded in accomplishing his object. A most 

 striking instance of this has been supplied to me by another 

 friend of his, viz., that after he was advanced in years he 

 began the study of the Gaelic language, and acquired such 

 an excellent knowledge of it that he was able to read and 

 speak it fluently — a fact full of encouragement to the 

 enthusiastic founder of our Celtic Chair. Nor did he 



