XV11 



Honourable marks of appreciation reached him from various quarters, 

 and gave him the more pleasure from being altogether unsought and un- 

 expected. The Admiralty, in 1862, gave him a watch. In 1864 he 

 received the honorary degree of LL.D. from the University of Glasgow. 

 The Eoyal Society awarded to him the Eoyal Medal in the year 1865. 

 The Emperor of Russia gave him, in 1866, a gold Compass emblazoned 

 with the Imperial Arms and set with thirty-two diamonds, marking the 

 thirty-two points. Six months before his death Her Majesty's Govern- 

 ment requested his acceptance of a gift of .2000, as a mark of their ap- 

 preciation of " the long and valuable services which he had gratuitously 

 " rendered to the Naval Service in connexion with the magnetism of iron 

 " ships, and the deviations of their Compasses." The official letter in- 

 timating this, dated Admiralty, July 1st, 1872, contains the following 

 statement, communicated to Smith by command of the Lords of the 

 Admiralty : " To the zeal and ability with which for many years you 

 " have applied yourself to this difficult and most important subject, My 

 " Lords attribute in a great degree the accurate information they possess 

 " in regard to the influence of magnetism, which has so far conduced to 

 " the safe navigation of iron ships, not only of the Eoyal and Mercantile 

 " Navies of this country, but of all nations." 



The writer of this notice has obtained tea veto quote also the following 

 from a letter from the First Lord of the Admiralty, Mr. Goschen, of date 

 February 23rd, 1872, announcing to Mr. Smith that the Government 

 had determined to propose to Parliament that the sum of .2000 should 

 be awarded to him " as a mark of recognition of the great and successful 

 " labours" which he had " bestowed on several branches of scientific en- 

 " quiry of deep importance to Her Majesty's Navy." 



" I am aware that you have treated your arduous work in this direction 

 " as a labour of love ; and therefore I do not consider that the grant which 

 " Parliament will be requested to sanction is in any way to be looked 



" upon as a remuneration of your services I trust you will 



" regard it as a mark of recognition on the part of the country, of your 

 " great devotion to enquiries of eminent utility to the public, conducted 

 " in the leisure hours which remained to you in a laborious profession." 



The following letter, which was addressed to the Editor of the ' Glasgow 

 Herald,' and published in that paper last January, will be read with 

 interest by others as well as those for whom it was originally written : 

 "As an intimate friend of the late Archibald Smith of Jordanhill, I 

 " desire to call your attention to a passage in your article of the 

 " 30th December upon him, which might perhaps convey a wrong im- 

 " pression to the minds of your readers. 



" You say that ' mathematics ... in its application to practical navi- 

 " ' gation was the amusement of his lighter hours.' The truth is, that 

 " the profession of a Chancery barrister, which the claims of a large 

 " family forbade him to abandon, occupied his best energies from early 



YOL. XXII. C 



