Obituary—Charles Spence Bate. 527 
of the British Association to Plymouth in 1877; and as one of the 
Vice-Presidents at that meeting, he contributed largely by his liberal 
exercise of hospitality to make the gathering a success. 
In 1851 Mr. Spence Bate left Swansea and returned to Plymouth, 
taking up his residence at 8, Mulgrave Place, where he succeeded 
to the practice of his father as a dentist, in which profession he was 
almost unrivalled. He was the author of many works on dentistry, 
which appeared separately, or in the “ Lancet,” the “ British Journal. 
of Dental Science,” and the “ Medical Gazette,” and in the “ 'Trans- 
actions of the Odontological Society,” to the Presidency of which 
he was elected in 1855. Two years previously he had been President 
of the British Dental Association. In 1881 Mr. Spence Bate was 
a Vice-President of a section of the Medical Congress. He was 
Honorary Surgeon-Dentist to the Plymouth Dental Dispensary and 
other local Institutions. 
Nor was it only in dentistry that Mr. Spence Bate became 
celebrated. He devoted a large amount of time to the investigation 
of the habits of marine animals, and, in conjunction with Mr. I. O. 
Westwood, was the author of a most important work on the “ British 
Sessile-eyed Crustacea.” The value of this work was fully recognized 
by the scientific world, and for this and other Memoirs on the 
Crustacea, Mr. Bate was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 
1861. Other works by him on the same subject were a British 
Museum “ Catalogue of Amphipodous Crustacea,” and a ‘“‘ Report on 
the Crustacea Macrura, collected by H.M.S. ‘Challenger,’”’ during 
the cruise of that Vessel round the world. This last-named work 
was only completed a year ago, and forms a most valuable con- 
tribution to carcinological science. 
He was keenly interested in all scientific matters connected with 
the town of Plymouth and county of Devon, and earnestly exerted 
himself to promote their progress and success. The restoration of 
the Plymouth Institution to its present healthy activity, after a 
period of comparative inertness, must be mainly ascribed to him. 
lected a member of the Institution in 1852, he became Secretary 
1854—60, President in 1861—62 and 1869-70, and Member of Council 
1853-83. He served as Museum Curator at different times, and as 
Editor of the Transactions in their present form 1869-83. He 
delivered no fewer than thirty lectures and Presidential Addresses 
between 1858 and 1882 to this Institution. 
Mr. Bate was one of the founders of the Devonshire Association, 
and during the first year of its existence (1862) was Senior General 
Secretary. In the following year he vacated this post, having been 
elected to the office of President of the Association. He delivered 
his Presidential Address at the Annual Meeting at Plymouth in 1863, 
and qualified as a permanent member of the Council. He was 
seldom absent from the annual meetings, and never ceased to take 
the liveliest interest in the progress of the Association. Between 
1862 and 1878 he contributed eleven papers to its Proceedings. 
He was an Honorary Member of the Torquay Natural History 
Society, Honorary Member of the Teign Naturalists’ Field Club, and 
likewise Honorary Member of the Royal Institution, Truro. 
