laiu-isii.j ^jy 



classes, conducted in the Museum under a teacher so able and 

 profound, were most successful. Not only was good progress 

 made in scientific knowledge, but the teacher succeeded in 

 imbuing many of his pupils with some degree of his own 

 enthusiasm. The Belfast Naturalists' Field Club, established in 

 1863 by Mr. Tate, in conjunction with a number of his pupils, 

 was the direct outcome of his work." For fuller details on this 

 subject I would refer you to Stewart's paper in the Irish Naturalist 

 for 1902 entitled " The Father of Irish Field Clubs." The year 

 1863 was marked by the publication of the first volume of Boswell 

 Syme's edition of English Botany, in 1864 appeared Dickie's 

 Flora of Ulster, in 1866 the Cybele Hibernica. 



Stewart continued to work at his trade, all the time he could 

 spare from it being given to Geology and Botany, but the shop 

 did not prosper, his frequent absences were against it, and in the 

 year 1880 he was appointed assistant curator of the Belfast 

 Museum at a very small salary, there not being funds to make it 

 larger. In 1886 he severed his connection with the business, 

 which was now carried on by his nephew Mr. William Stewart Bayne. 

 It should be mentioned that the business had been moved from 56,. 

 first to 36, and finally to No. 6, North Street. In August, 1891, 

 when Mr. William Darragh retired, Stewart succeeded him as 

 curator at a salary of ^65 with fire and light and a free house. 

 It was all that the funds of the Natural History Society could 

 afford, and we may be thankful that such a post was available as 

 his business would not have provided a living for him in his 

 advancing years. 



In the " Life and Letters of Alexander Goodman More " 

 there are many references to the Belfast naturalist. In the year 

 1865, when preparing his Cybele Hibernica for publication, More 

 writes to him "I rejoice to think that I have had the good fortune 

 of finding a correspondent so obliging and truth-seeking as your- 

 self, and I can hardly sufficiently thank you for the trouble you 

 have so kindly and often taken in assisting our work." 



