1G 



Grainger Room." He died in November, 1891, and 

 was buried at Broughshane, where, for twenty years 

 he had ministered in the Parish Church. A few years 

 ago, at one of our excursions, we visited his grave. 



Next on the list of members of the first Com- 

 mittee comes the name of Samuel Alexander Stewart. 

 Dr. Praeger has well said of him — 



"Among the men of science which the North of Ireland 

 has produced — and the list includes some famous names- 

 Samuel Alexander Stewart stands unique. He was a remark- 

 able example of a man who, starting life almost without 

 education, and from the age of eleven years earning his 

 livelihood; by long days of scarcely remunerative work, never- 

 theless succeeded, by sheer determination and industry, in 

 attaining a recognised! position in the world of science and in 

 being looked up to as a local authority not only in botany, 

 but in zoology and geology as well." 



He began life as an errand boy, later on succeed- 

 ing to his father's little business of trunk-making in 

 Lower North Street. He came under the influence of 

 Ralph Tate at the science classes, and, as we have seen, 

 he, Robinson, Chew, and Tate set the Club agoing. 

 How much it owes to Stewart's enthusiasm and driving 

 force in its early years it would be difficult to over- 

 estimate. He helped Tate with his "Flora Bel- 

 fastiensis," and he helped Dickie with his "Flora of 

 Ulster" in 1864. Though he devoted much time and 

 toil to the study of local geology, on which he produced 

 several valuable reports and papers, his reputation as a 

 scientist really rests on his work as a botanist. From 

 a "List of the Mosses of the North-East of Ireland" he 

 passed on, in collaboration with a young friend, 

 Thomas Hughes Corry, to a general survey of the local 

 flora. On the death of Corry by drowning, while 

 studying the flora of Lough Gill, Stewart struggled on 

 single-handed, and in 1888 produced his monumental 

 work, "A Flora of the North-East of Ireland." He had 

 been Assistant Curator of the Museum in College 

 Square North from 1880, but still carried on his 

 business in North Street. He gave up the shop in 1886, 

 and in 1891 succeeded William Darragh as Curator. 

 He retired in 1907, and died in 1910, at the age of 83. 



William M'Millan was one of the five young men 

 who met at Mr. Chew's house to discuss the formation 

 of a Field Club. He was probably a schoolmaster at 

 that time, afterwards becoming an Inspector of 

 National Schools. When entertaining the Club to 



