HIS LAST YEARS 259 



I first had a sight of his collection. I find the entry in my 

 diary: "Spent 7 hours over fossils, especially Lyginodendron 

 and Lepidodendron, preparations magnificent." I at once became 

 an ardent convert to the cult of fossil plants to which I had 

 hitherto been indifferent, though I must in fairness admit that 

 Count Solms-Laubach's Einleitimg had done something to 

 prepare the way. I well remember the state of enthusiasm in 

 which I returned home from Manchester. A subsequent visit 

 confirmed me in the faith, but it was some little time before I 

 put my convictions into practice. In 1892 Williamson, then in 

 his 76th year, resigned the Manchester Professorship and came 

 to live near London. In the same year I migrated to Kew, and 

 it was agreed that we should work in concert, an arrangement 

 which received every encouragement from the then Director, 

 Thiselton-Dyer. Williamson first came to the Jodrell Labo- 

 ratory on Friday, December 2, 1892. Then, and on many later 

 visits, he carried a satchel over his shoulder, crammed with the 

 treasures of his collection. For some months he came pretty 

 regularly once a week, afterwards less often. On these visits 

 we discussed the work I had done on the sections during the 

 interval, and sometimes our discussions were decidedly lively. 

 In the end, however, we always managed to come to a satis- 

 factory agreement. Our first joint paper {Calamites, Calamo- 

 stachys and Spheiiophyllunt) was sent off to the Royal Society, 

 rather more than a year from the start, on December 29, 1893. 



During the early part of 1894 Williamson came occasionally 

 to Kew, and our discussions were renewed, this time chiefly on 

 Lyginodendron. Our second paper (Roots of Calamites) was 

 despatched on October 30, 1894. 



After a considerable interval Williamson again visited Kew, 

 on December 12, 1894, when we started on his Lepidodendron 

 sections, a subject on which we never published in conjunction. 

 His last visit was on January 7, 1895. A few days later his 

 health broke down, and though there were many fluctuations he 

 was never able to come to the laboratory again. I saw him 

 last, at his own house, on June 4th. On the 13th I read our 

 joint paper on Lyginodendron and Heterangiunt at the Royal 

 Society; on the 23rd he passed peacefully away. 



17 2 



