86 REMINISCENCES OF 



Surgeons, were serious. However, kind friends lent 

 me what was necessary ; or I must have broken down. 

 I left Scarborough for London on the last day of 

 September 1840, and entered myself as student of 

 University College, nearly emptying my pockets of 

 its borrowed funds in payment of fees, but my father 

 was able to send me further help during the winter 

 term. I soon found the difference between London 

 and the provincial schools. With such men as 

 Quain in anatomy, Sharpey in physiology, Liston 

 and Cooper in surgery, C. B. Williams in the chair 

 of medicine, Graham as professor of chemistry, and 

 Lindley* of botany, no man with brains could fail 

 to learn. Besides these, there were assistant phy- 



* On entering his name for the class in botany, young 

 Williamson found one of his teachers would be Professor 

 Lindley, with whom he had been connected years before in 

 his drawings and descriptions of plants for " Yorkshire 

 " Fossil Flora." He gave his name, " W. C. Williamson." 

 " W. C. Williamson," repeated Mr. Lindley. He looked 

 at the white-faced, delicate lad before him and thought, 

 " Oh, son or grandson of our correspondent perhaps," but 

 said, " W. C. Williamson from where ? " " Scarborough," 

 answered the youth; a small, conscious smile tucking 

 itself away in his sleeve, meanwhile, " Scarborough," 

 repeated Professor Lindley. " Are you then in any way 

 " related to one, W. C. Williamson, with whom we corre- 

 " sponded some time ago ? " "I had the pleasure, sir, of 

 " corresponding with you myself some years ago." " You, 

 " yourself 1 " And the teacher in botany began to wonder 

 whether student or professor would have the better time. 

 A. C. W. 



