1911-1912.] In Memoria in : Wni. Watson, M.D,, I.M, S. 449 



when I got to Meerut was stopped. But I heard from the men 

 that Watson was the grandest man they knew. They said, 

 when there was a case of cholera he hardly left his patients, 

 and stayed in the hospital all night." The letter goes on to 

 tell of some of Dr Watson's scientific pursuits, and ends by 

 emphasising " the great love of the men for him." Some 

 years after this there was a very serious outbreak of plague in 

 Dr Watson's district, and in one village to which he was 

 directed he found all the people dead, " some in their beds, 

 some on the floors of the rooms," — no one from another village 

 having ventured to go near the place for a whole month. 

 " As the best means of disposing of the dead," Dr Watson 

 said, " I set fire to the village, and burned the whole of it 

 down — cottages, cattle-sheds, and barns full of grain," — the 

 cattle and a solitary dog being first driven away. 



In April 1863 Dr Watson came home on sick-leave, 

 returning to India in the following year; but in 1867 he 

 was back again, having got three months' leave in order to be 

 married, when Mrs Watson accompanied him to India, remain- 

 ing there with him until his retirement from the service, 

 in 1883. 



From 1867 to 1883 Dr and Mrs Watson resided prin- 

 cipally at Almora and ISTaini Tal. At Almora, the capital of 

 the province of Kumaon, Dr Watson had medical charge of 

 the Leper Hospital for about ten years. Naini Tal is some 

 thirty miles distant from Almora, and was then the summer 

 residence of the Lieutenant - Governor of the North - West 

 Provinces. Of this beautiful Himalayan station there is a 

 good description in two of Dr Watson's Presidential Addresses 

 to the Society. The lake at Naini Tal, 6000 feet above sea- 

 level, and round the shores of which the houses are built, was 

 unknown to Europeans until 1840. Here a disastrous landslip 

 took place in 1880, while Dr Watson was residing at Almora, 

 when 151 persons perished, several of the Doctor's friends 

 being amongst the number. Of this sad event a very full 

 and interesting account is also given in our ' Transactions.' 



For upwards of thirty years Dr Watson remained in India, 

 retiring with the rank of Deputy Surgeon-General. These 

 years were full of interest in many directions. A vast store 

 of information was laid up in his memory on all sorts of 



VOL. VI. 2 I 



