745 



a meeting of the Dublin Natural History Society, by Mr. M'Alla un- 

 reservedly stating that the merit of the discovery belonged exclusive- 

 ly to Mr. Ogilby, and thus you perceive, Sir, by a species of metas- 

 tasis, the credit due to Mr. Ogilby's discovery of the Adiantura was 

 transferred to the heath of Mr. M'Alla's finding. Having thus recti- 

 fied the inaccuracies of Mr. Carter's " Botanical Rambles," I trust I 

 shall be excused if I have in any way transgressed the fair limits of 

 criticism, or for any warmth of expression which may have escaped 

 from me, ascribing such to the indignation I feel at the treatment 

 which this " young and praiseworthy botanist," I will add zoologist, 

 has received at the hands of those who should have had "bowels of 

 mercy and lovingkindness " towards him ; and combined with these 

 the admiration I entertain for his abilities, displayed in almost all the 

 branches of Natural History, has compelled me to use it. And now 

 it may not be out of place to say a few words in respect to Mr. 

 M'Alla : they may be useful to those, who, like him, have an ardent 

 thirst for knowledge, and labour under the difficulties which straiten- 

 ed means invariably oppose to the acquirement of information. 



At the period of Mr. Babington's and Mr. Ball's visit to Connemara 

 he was a young man, poor and pennyless ; of this he need not be 

 ashamed, it should be a source of honest pride to him ; but if this was 

 the case, he was possessed of an indomitable zeal for Natural History, 

 an intense love of the science, and indeed he required those assistants 

 in the many and severe discouragements he met with in the prosecu- 

 tion of his darling persuit. And in none did he feel those discourage- 

 ments more than in this transaction of the heath; finding by it that 

 he was deprived of all participation in the merit of the discovery, 

 aud one marked by a power of discrimination which falls to the lot of 

 fesv botanists ; it was the first fair opportunity that had occurred in 

 his course, the first gleam of sunshine, the first fulcrum by which he 

 might have risen in public estimation, and thus been placed in a 

 position favourable to the development of those talents he is so emi- 

 nently gifted with. These bright prospects being torn from him, was 

 quite sufficient to crush the hopes, the very mind of a less ardent vo- 

 tary than Mr. M'Alla. But it was not so with him ; he has perse- 

 vered in his noble course : and if it should be enquired of me, where 

 and what is he now ? I should answer, examine that lasting memorial 

 of talent and research. Doctor Johnston's work on the British Sponges 

 and Corallines. You will find him alluded to in almost every page 

 of that capital work. Again, take up Dr. Harvey's ' Phycologia 

 Britannica, no terms can express the admiration in which that work is 



