114. Account of Dr. M'Cann's life. [July, 



He was born in 1853 at Kirkcudbright in Scotland, and was edu- 

 cated in the Liverpool Institute. In 1869, at the age of 16, he came out 

 first of the first class in the Senior Oxford Local Examination. In the 

 same year he entered into the first competition for the Whitworth 

 Scholarship, and, though he failed in the main, he had the satisfaction 

 of surpassing every candidate within two years his senior. In the fol- 

 lowing year (1870) he brilliantly distinguished himself in this Examina- 

 tion. Not only did he obtain a scholarship at, I believe, the lowest age at 

 which one has ever been taken, but in the Examination in Mathematics, 

 he gained 1st class Honours in each of the three grades, and in the two 

 higher, was first in order of merit. The extraordinary nature of this 

 achievement will be appreciated, when it is considered that of the thou- 

 sands who in the last 15 years have competed for these scholarships, only 

 one has equalled Dr. M'Cann's success, and he was three or four years 

 his senior. 



In June of the same year he matriculated at the University of 

 London from the Liverpool Institute, and his name appears first in order 

 of merit in the Honour List. In 1871 he took his first B. Sc. degree 

 with honours at the University of London, standing first in the First 

 class in Mathematics and Mechanical Philosophy, and he also gained the 

 University Scholarship in Mathematics. In the same year he obtained 

 a Minor Scholarship at Trinity College, Cambridge, and proceeded there 

 in October. In 1873 he wag elected a scholar of Trinity. He was pre- 

 vented by illness from going up for the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 

 1875, but was bracketed seventh wrangler in the Examination of 1876. 

 He was for some time a Master at Harrow. He also took an active part 

 as lecturer under the University extension scheme. 



In 1879 he received an appointment in the Bengal Educational De- 

 partment. In 1881 he was elected Honorary Secretary of the Asiatic 

 Society. He was for some time a Trustee of the Indian Museum on the 

 part of the Society. 



In May 1882 he was appointed to officiate as Secretary to the 

 Central Committee for the management of the Economic Museum. In 

 this capacity very heavy work devolved upon him. He had to " work 

 off the arrears which had accumulated in the financial and routine 

 business of the office and to put the specimens into general order previ- 

 ous to throwing the Museum open to the public." This was effectually 

 done, and the Museum was thrown open to the public on the 25th of 

 July 1882. 



It was also Dr. M'Cann's duty as Secretary to the Committee of the 

 Economic Museum to compile a Report on the Dye- Stuffs of Bengal, 

 based on returns received from the Commissioners of Divisions, and re- 



