292 JOHN DUNCAN, WEAVER AND BOTANIST. 



He would allow no interference with anything in his 

 room, doing himself everything required there, with his 

 usual independence, making his own bed, dusting and 

 cleaning up, and performing other offices generally done 

 by women. He greatly objected to any intrusion, espe- 

 cially from children, who were naturally attracted by the 

 curiosities there, on account of the many valuable things 

 that lay in every corner, and he locked his door every 

 time he went from home. 



The most of his books and plants were kept in three 

 large chests. The best of the books were carefully wrapped 

 and tied up in several folds of paper. All the chests and 

 plants and parcels were abundantly scented with camphor 

 and dried native plants, such as mint and woodruff, to 

 preserve them from the insidious moth. The insides of the 

 chest lids were ornamented with pictures of various kinds, 

 coloured and plain, pasted on the wood. These contained, 

 amongst others, portraits of Queen Adelaide, William IV., 

 Nicholas of Russia, Queen Mary, Queen Victoria, Rob Roy, 

 Young Normal, a Highland chieftain in full coloured 

 costume, plates of animals, and an old rude representation 

 of Adam and Eve under the apple tree, round which the 

 wicked serpent twined, with a quotation from " Paradise 

 Lost " beneath. 



Though John's care of his books was so great, his 

 desire to spread knowledge was greater, and he used to 

 lend them a good deal to his friends and the more intelli- 

 gent of his neighbours ; for nothing gave him more 

 pleasure than to discourse about the subjects he studied 

 with others, and assist them in prosecuting these in every 

 way in his power. To prevent the loss of the books he 



