George Robert Milne Murray. 



xxi 



traits of his character. He was ready to believe any tale of distress which 

 was brought to hirn, and was very frequently imposed upon to a great 

 extent by professional beggars. Indeed it was often difficult to persuade 

 him that the recipients of his charity were unworthy ; he had a childlike 

 belief in the veracity and honesty of mankind. 



Lister was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1860. He served on the 

 Council in 1881-3, 1893-1901, and 1902-3. He was Foreign Secretary in 

 1893-5 and President during 1895 to 1900. He was also a Vice-President 

 in 1900-01. In 1880 he received a Eoyal Medal and in 1902 the Copley 

 Medal. 



It is not possible to close this review of Lord Lister's work and life 

 without referring to the great part which Lady Lister took in his work. 

 She was an ideal helpmate — quiet, unassuming, and wrapt up in his work. 

 The notebooks of his experiments are almost entirely in Lady Lister's 

 handwriting, and not only did she act as his assistant, but she aided him in 

 discussing and criticising the results obtained. Her loss to him was 

 irreparable, and he was never the same afterwards. Fortunately her death 

 did not occur till his work was finished. 



W. W. C. 



GEORGE ROBERT MILNE MURRAY, 1858-1911. 



George Robert Milne Murray was born on November 11, 1858, at Arbroath, 

 Forfarshire, Scotland, and after receiving a general education at the High 

 School of that town, proceeded to the University of Strassburg, where he 

 made a special study of Cryptogamic Botany under the direction of Prof. 

 De Bary. On his return to England, in 1876, he was appointed assistant 

 in the Botanical Department of the British Museum, the Botanical and 

 other Natural History Departments being at that time located at 

 Bloomsbury ; he was placed by the Keeper, Dr. W. Carruthers, F.R.S., in 

 charge of the Cellular Cryptogams. 



While Murray had charge of the Fungi and Algee, and more especially 

 after the removal of the botanical collections from Bloomsbury to South 

 Kensington, the cryptogamic herbarium was not only rearranged on modern 

 lines, but largely extended through the acquisition of various important 

 collections for the Nation. In this connection may be mentioned Broome's 

 valuable herbaiium of Fungi, Dickie's marine Algae, and AVheeler's extensive 

 series of water-colour drawings of British Fungi. He realised fully the 



