480 Obituary — James Thomson, F.G.S. 



Campbeltown district in Cantire ia 1867; in his "Geology of Islay,"' 

 published in 1877; and in his paper on the Geology of Arran, read 

 in 1875, The last-named, which had to withstand much criticism, 

 was ultimately printed in 1897 (Trans. Geol. Soc. Glasgow, vol. xi). 

 His geological knowledge was acquired by assiduous application, and' 

 supported by a clear-sighted persistence in his own views, as shown 

 by his paper on Arran. His characteristic intenseness and earnest- 

 ness of purpose are traceable from an early date. 



Born at Kilmarnock, the twelfth child of poor parents, his life 

 of hard work began early. Before he was seven years old he insisted 

 on seeking work in order to help his parents. At last, with som© 

 knowledge of carpet-weaving, he got employment in Glasgow. 

 Here, as a youth, his intense earnestness to learn something of 

 geology is stated to have made him listen at a keyhole to a lecture 

 on Coal in very cold weather. In his progress in life he became- 

 a commercial traveller ; and in this business he continued until over 

 seventy years of age. 



Any leisure time that occurred he always devoted to his studies ; 

 gathering personal knowledge of natural history and geological 

 facts during his long wanderings over the British Islands, and in 

 some parts of the Continent; collecting fossils and getting them 

 named by experts in museums, and wherever possible. In 1884 he 

 went to Canada with the British Association ; and in North America 

 widened his experiences in the mineral and metalliferous districts of 

 Idaho. (Trans. Geol. Soc. Glasgow, 1884.) 



Mr. Thomson had long known the value of well - arranged 

 collections and of really classified natural - history objects to 

 students ; and he had made up his mind that, when he should 

 have got sufficient means to guarantee a small competence, he would 

 hand over his museum to his native town. 



He knew the personal pleasure of adding treasure to treasure 

 to a growing collection, if really valued in view of the ultimate 

 recognition and explanation of the endless phenomena in nature, 

 and thus often pointing to facts and notions of either material or 

 philosophical value to his fellow-man. With this view, Mr. Thomson 

 liberally gave his great collection to Kilmarnock ; and Mr. James 

 Dick has munificently provided for its proper housing in the Library 

 and Museum Buildings at Elmbank. 



Mr. James Thomson was an old member of the Glasgow 

 Geological Society, and was an honorary fellow of societies at Jena 

 and Liege. In 1868 he was elected a fellow of the Geological 

 Society of London. On February 9, 1899, he was presented with 

 the Freedom of the Burgh of Kilmarnock ; but not being well 

 in health, he was represented by his son, Dr. Gemmell Thomson, 

 of Ayr. 



Thus, another of the fine old stalwart, self-educated, and strong- 

 willed North-men has passed away ; rough and hard in some aspects, 

 but good-hearted, and ambitious to be in the front with those that 

 know and help others to know. James Thomson's death leaves 

 a gap among scientists to be filled up by some earnest student in the 

 present generation. T. E. J. 



