Thomas Edward's Ambition. 299 



in the loss of a dredge. The current was so strong 

 where they worked that it carried the steamer along 

 with the dredge without any necessity for working 

 the engine. The result was that when the dredge got 

 fast it could not be eased by steaming back to it. 

 All the rope was let out, and a buoy attached to the 

 end of it, but the tide was running so strongly that 

 the buoy itself was drawn under water, and of their 

 dredge they saw no more. 



The visit to Ireland with Norman, in August of this 

 year, has been already mentioned. In the earlier 

 months Robertson had been corresponding with Mr. 

 Whiteaves, who submitted to his examination the 

 ostracoda dredged in the River St. Lawrence. 



On October 15, 1874, he wrote to his friend at 

 Banff: 



" MY DEAR MR. EDWARD, 



"It will afford me the greatest possible 

 pleasure if I can be of any service to you. I shall 

 lose no time in making inquiries regarding the matter 

 referred to. I have been confined to the house for 

 the last two weeks with rheumatic pains, but I have 

 every hope that in a few days I will be able to venture 

 out, and I will make it my first business to try if 

 anything can be done. 



" They are making some enlargement to the Kelvin- 

 grove museum, but whether they will require an 

 additional assistant I do not know. There is a public 

 aquarium being got up at Rothesay. But such 

 situations are often ruled by parties specially in- 

 terested in getting up the institution. 



