WILLIAM SMITH. 2/3 



from Mr. Joseph Hodgson (one of the secretaries 

 of the meeting) a special and very cordial invita- 

 tion to be present. He stopped on his journey to 

 Birmingham, at the house of friends at Northamp- 

 ton. Here the kindest welcome awaited him ; and 

 in addition to the pleasure of contemplating the 

 beautiful series of Northamptonshire fossils which 

 had been collected, he was gratified by several ex- 

 cursions into the neighbouring country, which had 

 always been interesting to him since, in earlier 

 days, he had opened the curious volume of Mor- 

 ton's " Northamptonshire." While thus tracing the 

 boundaries of the minor divisions of the oolitic 

 rocks which he had been the first to distinguish, a 

 slight cold by which he was affected seemed to the 

 eyes of his friends, to deserve more attention than 

 he bestowed on it ; medical assistance became 

 immediately advisable. William Smith had for 

 many years been successful in guarding his own 

 usually robust health, and he was slow and reluc- 

 tant to admit of advice better suited to the disorder 

 which now attacked him, and which on a former 

 occasion had so prostrated his strength that he 

 recovered with difficulty. He began to feel the 

 attack serious, and to perceive the alarm in the 

 faces of his friends. 



It was difficult to believe, that under that calm, 

 thoughtful, and pleased expression of countenance, 

 those animated descriptions of the country which 

 he had visited a few days previously, those plans 

 of further and strenuous exertion, which asked 



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