goodsir's companions. 31 



When Goodsir studied chemistry in 1831, the 

 teaching of the science was more theoretical than 

 practical. Dr. Thomas Hope, known as " Strontian 

 Hope" for his one discovery, was not an enthusiastic 

 teacher, and not likely to fascinate the young idea 

 with the grand problems awaiting solution in the 

 science. He was dry, didactic, yet methodical and 

 accurate in his experiments, and a gentleman of the 

 old type, and essentially academical. Dr. Graham, 

 the professor of botany, whose lectures were attended 

 by Goodsir, lived and died in the Linneean faith, 

 despite Jussieu and Decandolle, and held by a pocket- 

 lens as if the microscopic observations of Dr. Robert 

 Brown had never been made. Without a natural- 

 history inheritance, Goodsir's botanical knowledge 

 would have remained latent as far as teaching affected 

 its genesis. 



Goodsir's character kept him from a promiscuous 

 acquaintanceship. His brother observes — " When he 

 saw or felt there was no affinity, he quietly but reso- 

 lutely kept within himself. In addition to this, the 

 remains of what was an innate and sometimes painful 

 sensitiveness and modesty acted on him powerfully, 

 often disadvantageous^, through life. Nevertheless 

 he always enjoyed the real good of having a quite 

 sufficient circle of friendly acquaintance, as well as an 

 inner circle of tried friends, whom lie valued highly, 

 loved sincerely, and delighted in as companions." 

 His closest and most importa.nl friendship was with 

 Edward Forbes of the Isle of Man. They met for the 



