184 MKA10KIKS OF MY LIFE 



Westminster, if he knew who \\.is its author, 

 replied, " Myself." It is to be regretted that no good 

 biography exists of W. Spottiswoode, Mam noii 



e published at his death, and it gratified UK* to 

 learn that one which I wrote for the Roy.d 

 Geographical Sociely on one aspect of his in.i 

 sided character greatly pleased his family .md some 

 of his intimate friends. 



The main feature-; of his life were that he was the 

 son of the then Queen's Printer. .-I good Scottish 

 lamiK. and the presumed heir to a considerable 

 fortune. lie went to Oxford, where he obtained the 



University Scholarship in mathematics, and \\here 

 also intelligence reached him ol the entire collapse ot 

 his father's fortune through unwise speculation. lie 



braced himself to th< -ion, and, after main \. 



of hard work, himself succeeding his father as < ^\\( 

 Printer, he created a model business on the lar 



.le, and rehabilitated the lost fortune. In the 

 meantime he had sufficient Spare energy to occupy 

 himself day by day with >'in'al pursuits in 



literatim! and science. Among other diversions he 

 loved to travel considerable distances during the 

 few weeks he annually allowed himself for vacation, 

 and to acquire much knowledge of other countries in 

 that way. Enormously worked as he was, he al\\ 

 seemed to have leisure, and he did with thoroughness 

 whatever he undertook. 



At this time there was still much ignorance con- 

 cerning the northern part of the peninsula of Sinai, 

 especially of the plain of El Tih, and he suggested 

 to me that by making judicious preparations its survey 

 might be accomplished within the short space of time 



