3 MEMOIR OF DR. HARVEY. 



in London at length prevailed with them, and a place was 

 assigned to him in the counting-house, where his time was 

 chiefly occupied as a kind of factotum to his father, whose 

 advancing life and constitutional delicacy rendered such atten- 

 tion necessary. 



On his return from school the cousins before alluded to 

 became his constant companions, and participated in all his 

 pursuits, amongst which was the formation of a botanical 

 garden ; and " William cares for nothing but weeds," became a 

 frequent remark. In 1829 they were separated, by his aunt's 

 going to reside in Cionmel, and the correspondence which was 

 then briskly kept up between them gives the best picture which 

 can be presented of the progress of his scientific pursuits for 

 several ensuing years. Other young naturalists may be en- 

 couraged as well as interested by learning from these pages the 

 course of study which these young men marked out for them- 

 selves, pursuing it with an earnest zeal that rendered industry 

 a pleasure, and which, overcoming the hindrances attendant on 

 their business occupations, made them avail themselves of every 

 leisure moment for scientific improvement. 



Miltown Malbay, in the county of Clare, had become the 

 seaside resort of the Summerville family ; and there, on the 

 shores of the Atlantic, rich fields of marine botany opened to 

 William's researches. Spring tides were his high festivals. 

 Late and early he was on the rocks, following the receding 

 waves to grasp the seaweeds, or bending over the urchin-beds 

 and the pools studded with sea-anemones. 



In selecting from his juvenile correspondence with his 

 cousin, many readers, and especially the unbotanical, may 

 find that the editor has exceeded the bounds of interest ; but 

 casting aside the greater part of the letters, and all matters of 

 private and family nature, which no doubt greatly enlivened 

 them, she has carefully endeavoured that no extract should be 

 given without its seemingly desirable object, either in the way 

 of pointing to some interesting plant or new book of study, or 

 as marking some further step in advance on that ladder of 

 science which he was climbing with such eager and persevering 

 industry. 



