Henry Trimen. 16$ 



Hospital Medical School from 1867 to 1872. He never practised 

 his profession, but in 1869 entered the Botanical Department of the 

 British Museum as an assistant. 



From 1870 to 1879 Trimen edited the "Journal of Botany," which- 

 had become the repertory for the critical study of the British Flora. 

 He was engaged from 1875 to 1879, in collaboration with his old 

 teacher, Professor Bentley, in the publication of the four volumes of 

 " Medicinal Plants," which is now regarded generally as the standard 

 authority on Pharmacology in this country. It contains singularly 

 few errors, or rather points in which subsequent research has corrected 

 its statements. It exhibits, in a striking degree, the qualities of 

 thoroughness and caution which Trimen eminently possessed. 



Trimen was at bottom a naturalist in whom the love of living 

 things was not easily extinguished. About 1879 he began to feel the 

 restraints of museum work irksome. He enquired of me if some- 

 congenial colonial scientific post could be found for him. It so 

 happened that just at this juncture the Directorship of the Royal 

 Botanic Garden, Peradeniya, Ceylon, had become vacant by the 

 retirement of the distinguished botanist Dr. Thwaites. The Govern- 

 ment felt themselves fortunate in having so capable a man as Trimen 

 to take his place, and though the trustees of the British Museum 

 showed their appreciation of his services by endeavouring to retain 

 them on more favourable terms, Trimen elected to proceed to Ceylon. 



The task he undertook proved no easy one, but he fulfilled it for 

 the next sixteen years with signal success. He had acquired some 1 

 experience of official work at the British Museum, but the larger scope 

 of administrative control, and the somewhat exacting duty of aeting 

 as scientific adviser to a planting community, was new to him. The 

 colony had gone through a disastrous crisis, owing to the destruction of 

 its principal staple, coffee, by " leaf disease." The period of transition 

 to new industries was exceptionally trying. It fell to Trimen to assist 

 the planter by answering enquiries addressed to him on every con- 

 ceivable subject. For this his accurate knowledge and imperturbable- 

 good humour made him an almost ideal instrument. His services in 

 this respect were not unappreciated. The Ceylon Observer did full 

 justice to him on his death. It wrote : " Never before in the history 

 of the island has more attention been given in our Botanic Gardens to 

 every question bearing on the economic, as well as scientific side of 

 planting, and tropical agriculture generally, than during the last 

 sixteen years." It had never, however, been Trimen's intention, in- 

 accepting a colonial post, to subside into the mere official. He had 

 always had the ambition to accomplish some considerable work for 

 science, and in Ceylon he found a task worthy of his ability ready to 

 his hand. A comprehensive work, or Flora, descriptive of the plants 



