524 MISCELLANEOUS BOTANICAL LETTERS. [1882. 



The following passage, for which I am indebted to Pro- 

 fessor Judd, is of much interest, as illustrating the motives 

 that actuated my father in this matter. Professor Judd 

 writes : 



" On the occasion of my last visit to him, he told me that 

 his income having recently greatly increased, while his wants 

 remained the same, he was most anxious to devote what he 

 could spare to the advancement of Geology or Biology. He 

 dwelt in the most touching manner on the fact that he owed 

 so much happiness and fame to the natural-history sciences, 

 which had been the solace of what might have been a painful 

 existence ; and he begged me, if I knew of any research 

 which could be aided by a grant of a few hundreds of pounds, 

 to let him know, as it would be a delight to him to feel that 

 he was helping in promoting the progress of science. He 

 informed me at the same time that he was making the same 

 suggestion to Sir Joseph Hooker and Professor Huxley with 

 respect to Botany and Zoology respectively. I was much 

 impressed by the earnestness, and, indeed, deep emotion, with 

 which he spoke of his indebtedness to Science, and his desire 

 to promote its interests." 



Sir Joseph Hooker was asked by my father " to take into 

 consideration, with the aid of the botanical staff at Kew and 

 the late Mr. Bentham, the extent and scope of the proposed 

 work, and to suggest the best means of having it executed. 

 In doing this, Sir Joseph had further the advantage of the 

 great knowledge and experience of Professor Asa Gray, of 

 Cambridge, U.S.A., and of Mr. John Ball, F.R.S."* 



The plan of the proposed work having been carefully 

 considered, Sir Joseph Hooker was able to confide its elabor- 

 ation in detail to Mr. B. Daydon Jackson, Secretary of the 

 Linnean Society, whose extensive knowledge of botanical 

 literature qualifies him for the task. My father's original 

 idea of producing a modern edition of Steudel's ' Nomencla- 

 tor ' has been practically abandoned, the aim now kept in 



* ' Journal of Botany,' loc . cit. 



