266 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Dec. 1, 1865. 



gifted with tlie in-epressible bump of destructiveness. 

 Around tlie lake stretch grounds broken into every 

 variety of wood, meadow, morass, and rivulet — all 

 encompassed by a lofty wall, entirely shutting in the 

 domain. Thus secured from attack, and confiding 

 in the tried favour of the master of the estate, birds 

 and beasts of every known British species came to 

 live with Charles Waterton. Por the starlings, 

 owls, and jackdaws he built lodgings expressly ; the 

 other ferce nature took apartments as it suited 

 them. You might look from his study window- and 

 see the 'natural history' of the British islands 

 unrolled, with illustrations by Nature herself." 



Hugh Cuming was perhaps less widely and 

 popularly known. To conchologists his name is 

 ft household word. In 1826, and when thirty-five 

 years of age, he gave up his business, built him- 

 self a yacht, and started on a twelvemonth's 

 cruise among the islands of the South Pacific, 

 in search of objects of natural history. After a 

 second and longer cruise, he returned with his 

 stores to his native land. In 1835 he again left 

 to spend four years in exploring the Philippines, 

 and returned to England " with the richest booty 

 that had ever been collected by a single man." His 

 dried plants numbered about 130,000 specimens, 

 and his cabinet of shells was the largest and most 

 valuable private collection in existence. After an 

 active life of upwards of threescore years, he quietly 

 sank to sleep surrounded by the treasures which he 

 had collected. 



The lovers of geology and palaeontology lost a 

 chief in Dr. Hugh Ealconer, Vice-President of 

 the Royal Society, who died on the last day of 

 January, just on the completion of his fifty-seventh 

 year. At the age of twenty-one he was an M.D., 

 with a,n appointment as assistant-surgeon in the 

 Bengal army. In ]832 he was left in charge of the 

 Botanical Gardens at Saharunpore, whilst Dr. Hoyle 

 returned on leave to Europe. During this tem- 

 - porary charge, in concert with Sir Proby Cautley, 

 the exploration of the Sewalik Hills was undertaken, 

 with which thcu" names are so intimately associated. 

 Acting on the advice of Dr. Palconer, in 1834 the 

 Bengal Government commenced the cultivation of 

 tea in the Himalayahs, noAv so successful. He also 

 afterwards recommended the cultivation of the 

 Cinchona, which promises to be equally successful. 

 In 1848, when Dr. Wallich retired from the super- 

 intendence of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, Dr. 

 Falconer was appointed his successor ; and in 1852 

 finally retired from the service. In concluding their 

 notice of him, the Reader says: — "It is obvious 

 that Ealconer did enough in his lifetime to render 

 his name immortal in science, as one of the greatest 

 palaeontologists who ever lived. But the work 

 which he published was but a small fraction of that 

 which he accomplished. The amount of scientific 

 knowledge which has perished with him is pro- 



digious, for he was cautious to a fault ; he never 

 liked to commit himself to an opinion until he was 

 sure that he was right ; and he has died in the 

 fulness of his power, before his race was run." 



Dr. Samuel P. Woodward, born at Norwich in 

 1821, died at Heme Bay in July last. As weU as 

 geologist and palasontologist, he also was a botanist ; 

 and in 1845 was appointed Professor of Botany and 

 Geology to the Boyal Agricultural College at Ciren- 

 cester ; and in 1848 removed to the British Museum. 

 His "Manual of Recent and Fossil Shells" is the 

 only separate work which he published ; but he con- 

 tributed many important papers to various scientific 

 journals. During the last twenty years of his life 

 he suffered much, which will, in a large measure, 

 account for the little published work which he has 

 left behind as a memorial of his name. 



In botanical science, the "cold hand" has fallen 

 upon its chiefs, and a trio, long to be remembered, 

 have been gathered to their rest. Sir Joseph 

 Paxton, the representative of horticulture, died 

 early in June, at the age of sixty-one, at Sydenham, 

 within sight of the Crystal Palace, the great work 

 which caused his name to be best known both at 

 home and abroad. Except his "Botanical Dic- 

 tionary," his literary productions are confined to the 

 Magazine of Botany and the Flower Garden, which 

 he conducted. As a landscape gardener he stood 

 deservedly high, and Chatsworth remains as his 

 testimonial, the Crystal Palace as his monument. 



Sir William Hooker is no less intimately 

 associated with Kew Gardens, and here, within 

 scent of the floral odours which he had collected 

 from every clime, his liberated spirit passed away, 

 after having spent fourscore years on earth. Sir 

 William was born at Norwich in 1785 ; at first 

 destined for a commercial life, which was soon 

 abandoned. At the age of twenty -four he published 

 his "Tour in Iceland," in which the flora of that 

 country received notice ; but unfortunately all his 

 collection was lost, which prevented justice being 

 done either to himself or his subject. We could 

 not enumerate the contributions to his favourite 

 science which Sir William made betM^een that time 

 and the day of his death. He was for many years 

 Professor of Botany at Glasgow, whence he removed 

 to become Director of the Royal Gardens at Kew. 

 In this latter position, he merits the gratitude of his 

 country for the development of this truly national 

 institution. Sixty years ago he discovered a little 

 moss, which had not before been noticed in this 

 country. It was Buxbaumia aphylla. From that 

 period, for more than half a century, he watched 

 the progress of botany in Britain,— as it was when 

 the Linna;an Society was established, when Sir 

 J. E. Smith had scarcely done half his work, and 

 Sowerby's "English Botany" had but recently 

 commenced, till it became what it was when he, as 

 one of its patriarclis, passed away. 



