1887] Illness and Retirement. 327 



CHAPTER XLV. 



ILLNESS AND RETIREMENT. 



[1885-1887.] 



IN spite of gout, the spring and early summer of 1885 were 

 busy and happy. Writing to Mr. Griffith, on the i4th of 

 March, he looks forward to fresh field botany. " Now that 

 spring is coming, I hope that if you can arrange to meet 

 me some day in Anglesea, we might gather the rare little 

 grass Knappia together. That is in the month of May 

 I think." The expedition here spoken of came off a little 

 earlier than he had expected, for it was on Easter Monday, 

 April 6th, that he had the pleasure of showing Mr. Griffith 

 one of the Anglesea rarities, Knappia (or Mibora) 

 minima at Llyn Coron, one of its two localities in the 

 island. 



On Friday, April xoth, the Foundation Stone of the new 

 Museum Building was laid in Dublin. He was unable, 

 however, to attend the ceremony, for on that day a second 

 attack of gout began ; and his recovery from this was soon 

 followed by a visitation of lumbago (April 24th). His 

 List of Birds being now gone to press, he was engaged in 

 a fresh correspondence on Fishes, chiefly with Dr. Day : 

 in one of whose letters (April 27th) is expressed a hope 

 <4 soon to see your List of Irish Fish." Subsequent illness 

 prevented his drawing up this list, which was meant to be 

 on the same plan as that of the Irish Birds. 



His general correspondence was as extensive as ever. 

 Each step in the progress of" Stewart and Corry's Flora" 

 was watched with the keenest interest. " Better do your 

 work carefully and slowly than hurry on too fast," runs one 

 letter (March i8th). "It will be the standard Flora for 

 some years to come for your district. The limits of culti- 

 vation are very important, and I think you should make a 

 point of ascertaining them. They probably do not exceed 



