36 TRANSACTIONS LIVERPOOL BIOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
the ‘“Challenger”’ series, some ten years later, Murray found 
that a sample of rock from Christmas Island in the Indian — 
Ocean, which had been sent to him by Commander (now 
Admiral) Aldrich of H.M.S. “ Egeria,” was composed of a 
valuable phosphatic deposit. 
Murray’s interest in this rock was at first solely in relation 
to the ‘“‘Challenger”’ deposits and its possible bearing on his 
coral reef theory; but he soon realised its economic as well as 
scientific interest, and was convinced that the Island would be 
of value to the nation. After overcoming many difficulties 
he induced the British Government to annex this lonely, 
uninhabited volcanic island, and to give a concession to work 
the deposits to a company which he formed. He sent out 
scientific investigators to study and report on the pro- 
ducts of the island, and the results have been highly 
successful on both the scientific and the commercial sides. 
Sir John Murray visited Christmas Island himself on 
several occasions, he had roads cleared, a railway con- 
structed, waterworks established, piers built and the 
necessary buildings erected. In fact, the lonely island was 
colonised by about 1,500 inhabitants, and flourishing planta- 
tions of various kinds were established in addition to the 
working of the phosphatic deposits. Murray was able to show 
that some years ago the British Treasury had already received 
in royalties and taxes from the island considerably more than 
the total cost of the “‘ Challenger ’’ Expedition. 
- This is one of these cases where a purely scientific investi- 
gation has led directly to great wealth—wealth, it may be 
added, which in this case has been used to a great extent for 
the advancement of Science. ; 
In the case of Sir John Murray, as in that of my address 
on Sir Wyville Thomson last year, I am writing of a man who 
made a strong personal impression as one of my teachers in 
Science at Edinburgh forty years ago. It is not from one’s 
