376 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
many years in the Education Department at Caleutta and Dar- 
jeeling. In his note he spoke of Mr. Clarke as ‘‘ simply the ablest 
- man I ever came across.’ 
W. ad 
occasions the abundant treasures of his keen brain and retentive 
memory. that a conversation with him was among one’s 
greatest rane a ; especially as one needed not to say more 
than just enough to show an intelligent sympathy with his flow of 
interesting and illominating talk. Whether the subject were tea- 
planting in Assam, Christian missions in Bengal, university studies 
at Cambridge fades half a century ago, or a score of others, he 
seemed not only to know about it, but to know and have at his 
. A -end all about it. 
of the strong links that bound him and me together was 
Savant and delight in good music. An amusing illustration of his 
keen enjoyment of high-class music, vocal a nd instrumental, was 
furnished by the fact that some years ago we issued cards for music 
on oye evenings at the Vicarage, friends being free to choose one 
of the ; Mr. Clarke came to them all. 
rae one of the earlier years of our friendship I was anxious to 
find some one to tell a gathering of parishioners something about 
Christian missions in India, and only thought of Mr. Clarke in this 
connection as one whose knowledge extended over an extraordinarily 
wide radius. But even so, wien i broached the subject to him I 
could not help feeling tickled at his at once replying, ‘‘ Well! if 
there is one thing I think I know about more hon pee it is 
Ch missions in India.” He not only c 
address, but drew a special map on a lar nen uae: to Sildstrate his 
sey and the only difficulty he felt was to st his interesting 
and i i in mode (Chota Nag- 
zs the scene of one or two incidents upon which he dwelt. 
At that time the name was new to me, and therefore is perhaps the 
ae remember 
- Clarke’s private life would be complete 
without cordial reeognitien a his hospitality and simple unselfish 
kindn n many years past I have met at his table many 
interesting and not a few distinguished members of the Indian 
Civil Service, including more than one who were friends of mine 
at oa nearly fifty years ago. 
r. Cla 
was one of the m st regular worshippers at ue 
ish church (on Kew =). vas deeply interested in all 
musical doings there, and was “hand and glove” with the osie 
master. He bie also we of the musical reputation of Andover 
and the Test Valley—the neighbourhoo d to which his family 
belongs. Another of Mr. Clarke’s characteristics was he really did 
not seem to know how to sta: a disparaging remark on anyone 
who happened to be under discussion, however open to criticism he 
or his conduct might seem, and he would frequently recall anyone 
