A Chat about the Society's Past. 27 



had in view — but which even have been too much overlooked of late in 

 this colony — than because it promises to become the nucleus for the dis- 

 semination of a general public taste for intellectual and scientific pursuits, 

 and more expanded social reunions, than have hitherto been in practice 

 amongst us." 



Its Founder — W. H. Campbell. 

 It has been often said that when the time comes for a change or 

 improvement, the man arrives. "The hour and the man" had come, 

 and I could say much about that man. I can perhaps appreciate him all 

 the more because his tastes were similar to my own. He was a botanist 

 and had been collecting plants in the Highlands and on the banks of the 

 Scottish rivers. I have a MS. note-book in which he listed his collections 

 and a copy of John's " Botanical Rambles " with an account of a collecting 

 trip by the author, and W. H. C. to the Highlands. 



Mr. William Hunter Campbell, whose bust is so conspicuous in the 

 Reading Room, was born in Edinburgh in 1814 and educated as 

 a lawyer. Possibly as a recreation he took up Botany and we find him 

 among the " few gentlemen " who met on the 17th of March, 1836, to 

 start a Botanical Society for Edinburgh. Several Professors well known 

 to the world were among the founders, and Mr. Campbell was appointed 

 Secretary, although only 22 years old. His work for the Edinburgh 

 Botanical Society was highly appreciated, and I have a copy of Decan- 

 dolle's Prodromus presented to him before he left for Demerara. In the 

 Report of the Society it was stated that by his departure it had been 

 deprived of the services of one who had contributed much to its 

 prosperity and whose place it would be hard to fill. This was inl841, and 

 in 1848 a communication from him was read and an Eta razor strop from 

 Demerara exhibited. 



The first bin t of our Society is contained in a letter of Mr. William 

 Arrindell to Governor Light, dated January 19th, 1844, and as it is so 

 important I must give it in full. I may here state that we have in our 

 records the original " prospectus " in Mr. Campbell's handwriting. 



Demerara, 19th January, 1844. 

 Sir, — I have the honour to inclose for your perusal a prospectus 

 and certain proposals fcr establishing a Society to be called the British 

 Guiana Agricultural and Commercial Society. There appears to be a wish 

 on the part of several of the leading merchants of Georgetown to have a 

 united society, and hence the draft of the proposals in the form sub- 

 mitted — Should this union not be approved of the proposals can be 

 readily altered and confined to a society purely agricultural. 



These papers were drawn up by my young friend Mr. William 

 Hunter Campbell— without aid or assistance from anyone — and I have 

 great pleasure, founded on a sincere wish to further the interests of the 

 Colony, in introducing the papers in question as the best evidence that 

 can at present be offered of the fitness of Mr. Campbell to fill the situa- 



