70 MEMOIR OF ALFRED SMEE. [CHAP. VIII. 



would constantly refuse even small quantities of brandy. When- 

 ever he saw an inclination in any person to spirits, he would 

 warn them in the most solemn manner of the danger they were 

 thereby incurring. He considered spirits ought to be used only 

 as a medicine, and then only when ordered by the doctor. 



In speaking of Alfred Smee being a sober man, I may here 

 add that he never took wine excepting at dinner, and sometimes 

 at his luncheon. He considered the taking of a glass of wine, 

 with or without a biscuit, as being most destructive to the 

 digestive organs. 



Opium-eating, smoking, and other causes for debility are also 

 examined in the above treatise. The fourth chapter is devoted 

 to the consequences of debility, the fifth to its treatment, and the 

 relation of debility to different periods is given in the sixth and 

 last chapter. 



There is an interesting appendix to this little work, in which 

 is given the chemical composition of various substances of food, 

 &c., as well as a table showing the solid constituents in one 

 gallon of water supplied to towns, which was compiled for him 

 by Professor Attfield, F.C.S., Chemist to the Pharmaceutical 

 Society. This little book has had a good sale a second edi- 

 tion was issued in 1862 and it is a serviceable little book for 

 families to possess, for much practical and useful information 

 concerning one's every-day life may be obtained from it. 



In August 1859, my father went with his wife and his two 

 children to Switzerland, and enjoyed for a month the grand and 

 sublime scenery which that country affords. A dreadful accident, 

 attended by loss of life, had occurred at Zermatt the day previous 

 to our arrival there, which occasioned some letters to the ' Times ' 

 on the bad organization of the guides at that place. Among 

 these letters is an anonymous one on the 16th of September, 

 1859, from the pen of Alfred Smee. Before leaving this sub- 

 ject I will here merely add that, during this visit to Switzer- 

 land, my father amused himself by taking many observations 

 with his photometer, the description of which will be found in 

 his letter on the Eclipse of the Sun in 1858, No. XXIY. of the 

 Appendix. 



During this visit the natural flower-garden of the valley of 

 Zermatt was robbed of many of its choicest specimens, to be trans- 

 ferred to that garden near London which has now become of world- 

 wide repute. 



The trout-fishery of the Wandle was what first attracted 



