260 Proceedinr/s of the Royal Physical Society. 



him from taking a personal share in its proceedings. Its 

 rejuvenescence and vigorous growth during the last decade 

 gave him much gratification. 



While at the University an attack of ill health induced 

 him to abandon the medical profession, wlien he resolved to 

 devote himself exclusively to the study and teaching of the 

 natural sciences. At the age of twenty-one he was appointed 

 to the Lectureship on Botany at King's College, Aberdeen, 

 and a year later to the same office at Marischal College. In 

 1853 he was elected Professor of Natural History in Queen's 

 College, Cork ; in 1854, Professor of Mineralogy and Geology 

 in Queen's College, Belfast; and in 1860 Professor of Botany 

 and Zoology at the same College. During his residence in 

 Belfast he gave a large part of his attention to the study of 

 the lower forms of marine life, publishing numerous memoirs 

 on the Hydrozoa, Polyzoa, and on kindred subjects. He also 

 formed the excellent Museum of Natural History at Queen's 

 College, to which he gave a large part of his own collections. 



Sir Wyville Thomson was one of the first naturalists who 

 believed in the existence of a varied fauna living at great 

 oceanic depths, and who appreciated the importance of re- 

 searches into its conditions. His convictions were strength- 

 ened by the dredgings of Absjornsen in 200 fathoms, and 

 of Sars in 300 fathoms, off the Norwegian coast. Both 

 naturalists obtained an abundance of marine animals, and 

 their results disproved the theory of Forbes that a zero of 

 animal life was to be reached at a depth of a few hundred 

 fathoms. In 1866 he visited Norway, and made a close study 

 of the forms obtained by Sars, finding that many of these 

 were new to science and of extraordinary interest, especially 

 in their affinity to extinct species. Some time subsequent to 

 this, when engaged in studying the development of Antedon 

 rosaceus with Dr Carpenter, he strongly urged the latter to 

 use his influence with the Eoyal Society for the purpose 

 of obtaining a Government vessel, in which they might 

 conduct scientific dredging. 



In 18G8 H.M.S. "Lightning," and in 1869 H.M.S. "Porcu- 

 pine " were equipped b}" the Government, and were sent out 

 under the scientific direction of Dr Carpenter, Mr Gwyn 



