8o REMINISCENCES OF 



trates the class of men of whom I have been writing. 

 It was Sir Edward's intention, as soon as the fourth 

 volume of his " English Flora " was off his hands, to 

 prepare a fifth, in order to embrace the cryptogams, 

 and he was desirous of obtaining a better knowledge 

 of the British mosses. At that time there lived in 

 Manchester a man of the name of Edward Hobson, 

 who held a subordinate position in a tea-merchant's 

 shop in Deansgate. This man was an excellent 

 muscologist and had issued a book containing speci- 

 mens of the plants themselves instead of figures 

 of them. Hobson was a leader amongst the societies 

 noticed above. In that ante-railroad period many 

 passengers travelled to Manchester by canal, the 

 boat terminus of which was at the bridge near the 

 Salford Railway Station. On arriving at this 

 landing-place, Sir Edward having obtained a porter 

 of the unofficial type that so commonly hang about 

 termini, to carry his portmanteau to one of the hotels 

 of the town, inquired on the way of his attendant, 

 " Do you happen to know a man of the name of 

 " Edward Hobson ? " " Dun ya mean Hobson the 

 " botanist ? " Smith answered in the affirmative, and 

 the man replied, " Yea, I do." Smith, rather won- 

 dering at this, inquired how he had got to know 

 him, when his companion intimated that he and 

 Hobson often went out together collecting mosses. 

 Smith next asked, "Do you know anything about 

 " mosses ? " which question again elicited an affirma- 

 tive response. The confabulation ended in Smith's 



