THE 



GEOLOGICAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES. DECADE V. VOL. IX. 



No. v.— MAY, 1912. 



I. — Eminent Liying Geologists. 

 William Carruthers, Hon. Phil. Dr. et A.M. (Upsala), F.R.S., F.L.S., 

 F.G.S., F.R.M.S., F.R. Phys. Soc. etBot. Soc. Edinb., Corr. Memb. 

 Acad. N. Sci. Philad., etc. 



(WITH A POETEAIT.i PLATE X.) 



IF we review the progress of any one of the natural sciences we 

 shall find it is but the outcome of the genius and labours of many 

 individual workers, who have devoted themselves for years to some 

 particular branch of discovery or research. Taking palaeobotany as 

 an illustration, we may cite the name of William Carruthers as 

 a striking example of an individual worker in that field, who, during 

 more than a quarter of a century, specially devoted himself to the 

 investigation and description of fossil plants, and has thus added 

 largely to a knowledge of this section of the science of palseontology. 



Born at Moffat, Dumfriesshire, on May 29, 1830, William 

 Carruthers received his early education at MoiSat Academy. Thence 

 he proceeded, in 1845, to the University of Edinburgh. During two 

 periods his regular course of studies was interrupted that he might 

 hold tutorial posts, so that his Universitj' career was not completed 

 until the spring of 1854. In the autumn of that year he was entered 

 at IS'ew College, Edinburgh, with a view to study for the ministry of 

 the Presbyterian Church. Here, under the teaching of Dr. John 

 Fleming, the Professor of Natural Science, a man of conspicuous 

 attainments as a naturalist, the inclination which Carruthers had 

 already shown for science was strongly developed. 



Acting under the advice and encouragement of Professor Fleming, 

 who was then an old man, he devoted his energies to science with 

 a view to becoming his colleague and successor. He accordingly 

 studied in the University under Goodsir, Allman, and Balfour ; but in 

 1858, before Carruthers' curriculum was finished, Professor Fleming 

 tlied, and it was of course out of the question to appoint a student to 

 the chair. It is interesting to note that forty-five years later 

 Mr. Carruthers filled the chair for a year during a vacancy caused by 

 the resignation of Professor Duns. 



^ This portrait, with some extracts from the text (by " S. W. C"), is 

 reproduced from the Journal of the Eoyal Agricultural Society of England, 

 vol. Ixx, pp. 1-12, 1909, by kind permission of the Council. 



DECADE V. — VOL. IX. — NO. V. 13 



