FURTHER INTERCOURSE WITH CHARLES BLACK. IQ3 



memories and dear as a drop of heart's blood, cost a pang 

 known only to the initiated in such studies ; until now, after 

 over forty years' constant care, not one specimen remains of 

 the labours of all these hardworking days. It was a sadder 

 loss to their enthusiastic gatherer then even the most sym- 

 pathetic reader can well realise, and it cannot be referred 

 to by him without emotion. 



It was a loss to science also, for it would have been a 

 valuable possession to any institution that owned it. This 

 only furnishes another proof of the unwisdom of private 

 persons hoarding up such treasures, whether frail as plants 

 or hard as stones ; instead of making them, in their best 

 state, public property, for public instruction and for the 

 progress of popular and exact science. Happily, this refined 

 kind of selfishness is becoming less common than it has 

 been. Both private endowments and private collections 

 are now being more wisely and generously gifted during life 

 to some of our numerous and yearly increasing scientific 

 and educational institutions, for permanent preservation 

 and for the immediate education of our people. The fate 

 of Charles Black's herbarium should be a renewed warning 

 of the loss to science and to self incurred by this common 

 form of scientific selfishness, or, as in Black's case, of 

 intense retiredness and superabundant humility. 



John's herbarium was not then arranged. Before it could 

 be attempted, the friends were permanently separated, and 

 it was not systematically classed and named till several 

 years afterwards, by John himself. Happily, however, it 

 has not shared the fate of its fellow collection, being just 

 rescued in time, to remain as an imperfect but worthy 

 memorial of the man and his work. 



O 



