CHILDHOOD AND YOUTH 23 



about to hold a meeting at Havre, and Ramsay waited on about 

 three weeks to attend it. He was preparing a paper on the 

 research work he had done in Germany, and when he went to 

 the meeting he delivered his address in French and was very 

 highly complimented. This, I think, was the beginning of his 

 acquaintance with the notable scientific men of France, which 

 he kept up ever afterwards. I think it was about this same 

 year that he became Assistant to the Professor of Chemistry in 

 Glasgow University, a post which he held until he was appointed 

 Professor at Bristol about 1880. After that came his marriage. 

 Even after that we made several holiday trips together from 

 time to time. In 1887 we made a bicycle tour through England 

 for about a fortnight and had many interesting experiences. 

 We also had one later, round the south of Scotland, and another 

 time we took our cycles to Penzance and bicycled back most of 

 the way to London. Before these excursions we had a short 

 tour up the west coast of Scotland and round by Loch Maree. 

 We also had a trip to Rio de Janeiro in the Royal Mail, in, I 

 think, 1905. 



Of course I met Ramsay's father and mother very frequently 

 and stayed with them often. I think Ramsay took his scientific 

 bias from his father, who was greatly interested in every scientific 

 subject, and glad to talk about them. Geology was his favorite 

 and it was a constant subject of conversation. Every scientific 

 question, such as Darwinism, was readily and frequently dis- 

 cussed between father and son. His father very often came 

 long walks with us, particularly during the stay in Shetland in 

 1870, and afterwards at Kilcreggan. When I saw him first he 

 was suffering from an injury to his eye, and at that time he and 

 Mrs. Ramsay came to the Glasgow Academy twice to see the 

 class. It was such an unusual incident that I remember it very 

 well. I think he also took his sociable disposition and broad 

 outlook on life a good deal from his father. His mother was a 

 very notable woman. She had very strong views on all matters 



