BOYHOOD. 29 



requires an income of at least SOOl. per annum, and to devote 

 all one's time to the subject. This would be to make a toil of 

 a pleasure ; and yet I almost think that were I an independent 

 gentleman, I should enjoy a life so spent passing well, nor deem 

 that I was uselessly frittering away my time. My reason for 

 choosing the Algae is pure compassion ; they being sadly neg- 

 lected by the present generation, though at a former time they 

 were in high favour. I only came home last night, and have 

 unpacked nothing yet. I have made about half a dozen new 

 correspondents. 



To Mr. F. he writes again in the same month as follows : — 



Perhaps it is as well not to send me anything at present ; 

 for, sooth to say, I shall not have time to settle my Herbarium 

 for months to come, and then — then I am going to begin on a 

 new plan, and shall be glad of any common thing, such as Bellis 

 'perennis} Leontodon, 2 &c. I am fairly sick of the " bound up " 

 system. I gathered plenty of A. lonchitis 3 on Ben Lawers. 

 Poor A. T. ! have patience with her and respect her varieties. 

 For my part I should have been glad to get Sagina procumhens 4 

 " flore pleno." I doubt not Hooker would like it also, and 

 Brown, " the greatest botanist in this or any other age," would 

 I am sure like to see it, as he is particularly interested at pre- 

 sent about monstrosities. 



When I talked of pursuing botany as the business of life, I 

 did not picture to myself such botanists as we have hitherto 

 been. My idea lit on such names as Bobert Brown, Sir J. E. 

 Smith, and Dr. Hooker. Surely the labours of such men as 

 these are not useless, nor should they be charged with spending 

 all their life 



In dropping buckets into empty wells, 

 And growing old in drawing nothing up. 



I fully agree that to spend all one's life in picking seaweeds 

 and laying them in store would be a waste of time ; but one 

 cannot reach the top of the ladder at one stride, and must begin 

 somewhere. We have not been enough of physiological botanists, 

 and it is full time for us to begin. I would recommend a closer 



1 f'nmmon daisy. 2 Dandelion. s Holly fern. * Pearl wort. 



