TA TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
centre of marine biological work in Europe. That was evidently 
the opinion of his contemporaries. It is on record that he 
was worshipped by the men, old and young, who attended 
his first and only course of lectures m Edinburgh. They 
spoke of the wonderful influence, charm and fascmation that 
Forbes exercised on all who came in contact with him, and 
of the gloom and consternation which spread over the University 
when it was realised that he would never again meet his class. 
Forbes was appointed to the goal of his ambition, the 
Chair of Natural History, at Edinburgh, in March, 1854. 
He gave a course of lectures in the summer term to a large 
and enthusiastic audience, after which he returned to London 
to finish off work for the Geological Survey until driven to 
take a brief holiday im the country by a severe attack of illness. 
In September the British Association met in Liverpool, and 
Forbes occupied the honourable position of President of the 
Geological Section in which we are told he acquitted himself 
with great distiction—as he did lkewise when presiding, 
in the character of a Scottish Lion, at the Red Lion Dinner 
during the same meeting. 
His last published article, written at this time, a review 
of Sir R. Murchison’s “ Siluria,”’ contains a memorable passage, 
beginning :— 
“The old Scandinavian gods amused themselves all day 
in their Valhalla hacking each other to small pieces, but when 
the time of feasting came, sat down together whole and 
harmonious, all their wounds healed and forgotten. Our 
modern Thors, the hammer-wielders of Science, enjoy similar 
rough sport with like pleasant ending.” His purpose was 
to show that scientific disputes need not lead to unfriendly 
relations—that after tearmg each other to pieces, meta- 
phorically, in the section room the protagonists can dine 
together amicably as ‘Red Lions.” 
There is no doubt that he was in poor health ae this 
