2 GEOBGE JOHN ROMANES 



Miss Isabella Gair Smith, daughter of the Eev. Eobert 

 Smith, for many years parish minister of Cromarty. 

 Mrs. Romanes was connected with several old High- 

 land families, and was a thorough Highlander. Hand- 

 some, vivacious, unconventional, and clever, she was 

 in all respects a great contrast to her husband, who, 

 as years went on, seems to have lived mainly the life 

 of a student, and to have left the care of mundane 

 things to his wife. Three sons and two daughters 

 were born. Of these, only two, the eldest son and 

 youngest daughter, now survive. 



In 1848, the inheritance of a considerable fortune 

 relieved Dr. Eomanes from any necessity to continue 

 the duties of his chair, and the family returned home, 

 wandering about for a few years and finally settling 

 in 18 Cornwall Terrace, Regent's Park. There was a 

 good deal of continental travel during these first years 

 after their return, and as he grew into boyhood George 

 Romanes spent several months at various times in 

 Heidelberg and other German towns, and the family 

 performed a journey from Nice to Florence in a 

 delightful and now bygone fashion, travelling with a 

 vetturino. 



Probably the beauty of the scenery, the fascination 

 of travel, and the charm of the beautiful surroundings 

 exercised an unconscious influence over the boy, and 

 did something to rouse the poetic sense which was 

 to be so great an element in his life. Otherwise there 

 seems to have been little or no sense of pleasure in 

 the art treasures or the historic associations of Italy, 

 and at no time of his life did he ever care for pictures 

 to anything like the same extent as poetry or music. 



After the family settled in London, George Romanes 

 was sent to a preparatory school near his own home. 

 Two of his schoolfellows became in after life intimate 



