196 Eminent Living Geologists — 



the plant-remains found embedded in tlie various strata a far greater 

 value and scientific importance. 



In 11^71 William Carruthers obtained the honour of election to the 

 Royal Society, on the Council of which he served (1877-9). In 1871 

 he was ai)pointed Consulting Botanist to the Royal Agricultural Society 

 of England, a post which he held with distinction for thirty-nine years. 



In 1884 he attended the meeting of the British Association in 

 Montreal and took a long trip in America (in company with the late 

 Mr. Chai'les de Laune Faunce de Laune and Mr. F. S. W. Cornwallis), 

 in the course of which he secured interesting specimens for his 

 Department, and got into closer toucli with museums and herbai'ia on 

 the American continent. He and his fellow-travellers also gathered 

 much valuable experience in agricultural botany on this expedition. 



In 1886 he was President of the Biological Section of the Britisli 

 Association, at its Birmingham meeting, and there delivered an 

 address on the persistence of specific characters in plants, which 

 presented so difficult a problem to the supporters of the Darwinian 

 theory that it remains unanswered to this day. 



From 1886 to 1890 Mr. Carruthers was chosen to be President of the 

 Linnean Society, in which period its centenary celebrations fell ; and 

 for organizing and carrying through these important commemoi'ations 

 he received the Society's thanks. The Linnean Medal was then 

 founded, and he had the pleasure of presenting the first medals to 

 Sir Richard Owen and Sir Joseph Hooker. In 1907 Mr. Carruthers 

 was sent by this Society to Sweden as its representative at the 

 bicentenary commemorations of the birth of Linne, and at that time 

 the ancient University of Upsala conferred on him the honorary 

 degrees of M.A. and Ph.D. He had also been elected President of 

 the Geologists' Association 1875-7, and of the Royal Microscopical 

 Society 19U0-1. He retired from the Keepership of Botany in the 

 British Museum (Nat. Hist.), under the age clause, in 1895, when 

 the scientific staff consisted of the keeper and five assistants. 



The number of papers published by Mr. Carruthers upon recent 

 botanical suhjects (especially in connexion with Economic Botany 

 for the Royal Agricultural Society) amounts to considerably over 100. 

 Those enumerated in the annexed list relate to palseontological and 

 geological subjects only. 



His care in attention to detail, without losing sight of salient points, 

 his power of lucid exposition of a subject, and his willingness to 

 satisfy any genuine desire for knowledge have made him a most useful 

 officer both to the British Museum and the Royal Agricultural Society 

 of England. 



Speaking of William Carruthers' personal character the writer has 

 ever found him, during forty years association, a most consistent and 

 true friend and a staunch and faithful colleague. Like many of his 

 countrymen from across the Tweed he was a good fighter, and wdien 

 he had made up his mind that his cause was a just one he was very 

 tenacious in maintaining his ground. Had he lived in the old days he 

 would certainly have been a good fighting Covenanter. His list of 

 honours is a long one, but are they not all duly recorded in the Year 

 Book of the Royal Society for 1912, p. 8 ? 



