﻿Frederick 
  Ducane 
  Godman. 
  

  

  v 
  

  

  About 
  this 
  time 
  Godman 
  became 
  very 
  interested 
  in 
  plants, 
  and 
  at 
  his 
  home, 
  

   near 
  Horsham, 
  he 
  formed 
  a 
  good 
  collection 
  of 
  orchids, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  best 
  of 
  

   Alpine 
  plants, 
  growing 
  them 
  with 
  great 
  success, 
  and 
  gradually 
  laying 
  out 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  beautiful 
  and 
  interesting 
  gardens 
  in 
  the 
  south 
  of 
  England. 
  

   Ehododendrons, 
  which 
  the 
  soil 
  suits 
  admirably, 
  also 
  interested 
  him 
  very 
  

   much. 
  In 
  his 
  garden 
  he 
  was 
  always 
  careful 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  numerous 
  rare 
  plants 
  

   correctly 
  named, 
  and 
  in 
  his 
  later 
  years 
  derived 
  the 
  greatest 
  pleasure 
  from 
  

   their 
  cultivation 
  and 
  from 
  sharing 
  them 
  with 
  numerous 
  visitors. 
  Farming 
  

   and 
  building 
  occupied 
  his 
  attention, 
  and 
  his 
  practical 
  knowledge 
  was 
  the 
  

   admiration 
  of 
  his 
  workpeople. 
  

  

  Godman's 
  first 
  wife, 
  the 
  daughter 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  J. 
  H. 
  Elwes, 
  of 
  Colesborne, 
  

   Gloucestershire, 
  died.in 
  1875 
  without 
  issue. 
  In 
  1891 
  he 
  married 
  Alice 
  Mary, 
  

   the 
  daughter 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Major 
  Percy 
  Chaplin, 
  who, 
  with 
  two 
  daughters, 
  

   survives 
  him. 
  Together 
  with 
  his 
  wife, 
  he 
  visited 
  the 
  West 
  Indies, 
  Egypt, 
  South 
  

   Africa, 
  Ehodesia, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  Victoria 
  Falls, 
  etc. 
  On 
  a 
  second 
  trip 
  to 
  Egypt 
  

   they 
  journeyed 
  to 
  Khartoum 
  and 
  up 
  the 
  White 
  Nile 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  Goz 
  Abu 
  Guma, 
  

   and 
  later 
  joined 
  forces 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Andrews 
  in 
  the 
  excavation 
  of 
  fossil 
  animals, 
  

   including 
  the 
  Arsinotherium, 
  in 
  the 
  desert 
  of 
  the 
  Fayum. 
  

  

  Possessed 
  of 
  remarkable 
  powers 
  of 
  observation 
  and 
  an 
  intense 
  love 
  of 
  

   nature, 
  Godman 
  succeeded 
  in 
  all 
  that 
  he 
  undertook. 
  His 
  collection 
  of 
  

   Persian, 
  Ehodian, 
  Damascus, 
  and 
  Hispano-Mauresque 
  ware 
  is 
  the 
  finest 
  in 
  

   existence, 
  and 
  in 
  other 
  arts 
  as 
  well 
  he 
  was 
  no 
  mean 
  connoisseur, 
  while 
  his 
  

   readiness 
  to 
  share 
  his 
  treasures 
  w 
  T 
  as 
  shown 
  by 
  the 
  frequency 
  of 
  his 
  loans 
  to 
  

   the 
  South 
  Kensington 
  Museum 
  and 
  other 
  art 
  galleries. 
  His 
  taste 
  for 
  Geology 
  

   was 
  very 
  strong, 
  and 
  in 
  later 
  years 
  this 
  subject 
  and 
  that 
  of 
  Palaeontology 
  

   almost 
  rivalled 
  his 
  lifelong 
  devotion 
  to 
  Zoology 
  ; 
  the 
  recent 
  discoveries 
  at 
  

   Piltdown 
  were 
  immediately 
  visited, 
  in 
  company 
  with 
  his 
  friend 
  Godwin 
  - 
  

   Austen, 
  and 
  the 
  work 
  that 
  followed 
  afforded 
  him 
  a 
  lasting 
  interest. 
  

  

  Highly 
  gifted 
  as 
  he 
  was, 
  no 
  man 
  was 
  more 
  modest, 
  and 
  a 
  shyness 
  amount- 
  

   ing 
  almost 
  to 
  a 
  horror 
  of 
  public 
  speaking 
  made 
  Godman 
  avoid 
  publicity 
  ; 
  but 
  

   in 
  his 
  own 
  house 
  few 
  could 
  equal 
  him 
  as 
  a 
  host, 
  and 
  his 
  fine 
  nature, 
  vast 
  

   stores 
  of 
  learning, 
  and 
  varied 
  abilities 
  had 
  full 
  scope, 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  hundreds 
  of 
  

   letters 
  of 
  condolence 
  received 
  from 
  men 
  of 
  all 
  ranks 
  and 
  shades 
  of 
  opinion 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  unanimous 
  expression 
  of 
  affectionate 
  admiration 
  for 
  one 
  who 
  

   exercised 
  the 
  charm 
  of 
  a 
  well-nigh 
  perfect 
  nature 
  combined 
  with 
  a 
  wide 
  

   understanding. 
  

  

  In 
  1882 
  Godman 
  had 
  been 
  elected 
  to 
  the 
  Eoyal 
  Society, 
  and 
  in 
  reviewing 
  

   the 
  life 
  of 
  this 
  remarkable 
  man, 
  I 
  cannot 
  but 
  feel 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  great 
  

   misfortune 
  that 
  so 
  few 
  men 
  of 
  the 
  Godman 
  type 
  are 
  now 
  able 
  to 
  attain 
  the 
  

   honour 
  of 
  Fellowship 
  in 
  this 
  great 
  Society. 
  If 
  one 
  looks 
  through 
  the 
  list 
  of 
  

   candidates 
  of 
  recent 
  years 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  seen 
  that 
  country 
  gentlemen, 
  who 
  have 
  

   trained 
  themselves 
  in 
  scientific 
  work 
  and 
  who 
  could 
  be 
  encouraged 
  to 
  do 
  a 
  

   great 
  deal 
  for 
  science, 
  are 
  conspicuous 
  by 
  their 
  absence. 
  There 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  

   a 
  tendency 
  to 
  limit 
  the 
  elections 
  into 
  the 
  Society 
  to 
  men 
  who, 
  making 
  their 
  

   living 
  by 
  the 
  teaching 
  or 
  practice 
  of 
  some 
  branch 
  of 
  science, 
  are 
  able 
  to 
  

  

  