284 Obituary Notice. 



By his death science has lost one of its most zealous 

 votaries, and this Society a distinguished ornament. Dr 

 Blackie was the author of several short treatises on medical 

 and other scientific subjects. One, which was published 

 before he left this country, and which was very favourably 

 known at the time, was a careful essay on the Nature of 

 Cretinism. 



Obituary Notice of Charles Bohert Darwin. By John 

 HuTTON Balfour, M.D., Hon. Sec. 



(Read 11th May 1882.) 



We have to lament the death of the late Charles R. 

 Darwin, M.A., LL.D. Cantab., F.R.S., Hon. F.R.S.E., 

 F.L.S., and Honorary Member of the Edinburgh Botanical 

 Society. Darwin was born at the Mount, Shrewsbury, on 

 12th February 1809. His father, Dr Robert Waring 

 Darwin, F.R.S., was an eminent physician in that town. 

 His mother was the daughter of Josiah Wedgwood. His 

 grandfather, Dr Erasmus Darwin, was a very eminent 

 man of science, whose earliest publication was entitled The 

 Botanic Garden. He was author likewise of the Temple 

 of Nature and Zoonomia. 



Charles Darwin was educated at Shrewsbury School 

 under Dr Butler, afterwards Bishop of Lichfield. 



In his early days he was a zealous naturalist. He went 

 to the University of Edinburgh in 1825, and he attended a 

 course of Natural History under Professor Jameson, and 

 spent two sessions in Edinburgh. He studied specially 

 marine zoology, and he became a member of the Plinian 

 Society, which embraced all departments of natural history ; 

 and he read papers to the Society, one of which was on the 

 Ova of Flustra. He also gave an account of the worm of 

 Ponto dclla Muricata. One of the eminent young men 

 who met Darwin at the Plinian was Dr Greville. Both 

 made excursions near Edinburgh, specially to Inchkeith 

 and the Isle of May. I had the pleasure of being an 

 associate with Darwin at the meetings of the Plinian. 

 The Society held its meetings in a low room on the north- 

 western side of the University building. 



