V 



The death of Dr. George Harlet, F.R.S. (on October 27, 1896), 

 has removed in the midst of active labour a distinguished physician, 

 a true lover of science, a devoted husband and father, and, to the 

 writer of the present biography, an old and valued friend. 



The subject of this notice was born at Haddington, on February 12, 

 1829, and came from a race of famed ecclesiastical and literary men. 

 The Harleys of Haddington played an important part in the old 

 Roman Catholic times, the Rev. Dr. John Harley, of Magdalen 

 College, Oxford, becoming, in 1553, the first Protestant Bishop of 

 Hereford, and his cousin, the Rev. William Harley, the first legally 

 inducted Protestant clergyman in Scotland ; both were pupils and 

 friends of John Knox. After this time the Harleys of Haddington 

 took to the law, and for a number of generations were lawyers of 

 considerable local repute. George Harley's grandfather, Patrick 

 Harley, born in 1717, was a lawyer, though better known locally as 

 a poet and antiquarian. His father, born in 1766, lived as a country 

 gentleman, at Haddington, but died when George was only three 

 years old, leaving his education to his mother, who was a very 

 talented woman, arid her son inherited her abilities and originality. 



George Harley was educated at the Haddington Burgh Schools, 

 and at the age of 17 matriculated as a medical student at the 

 University of Edinburgh. 



While at Edinburgh Harley had every opportunity of acquiring 

 the rudimentary knowledge of his profession, of which he duly 

 availed himself. The Edinburgh University was then distinguished 

 as a school of medicine by an unrivalled staff of Professors. John 

 Goodsir was not only an accomplished human anatomist, but also 

 learned in comparative anatomy, on which he frequently lectured, 

 and the writer of this notice, who attended his lectures, together 

 with George Harley, can testify to Goodsir 's brilliant and fasci- 

 nating delivery. Rather narrow-chested, thin, tall, and with intel- 

 lectual features, Goodsir, speaking in a broad Scotch accent, would 

 hold a large class in breathless interest on the history of the Medusae, 

 a subject on which he delighted to lecture. Allen Thomson lec- 

 tured on physiology, in which he excelled. The microscope was not, 

 however, at that time so intimately connected with the study of 

 physiology as it was destined to become under Hughes Bennett, 

 who succeeded Allen Thomson. In materia medica Dr. Christison, 

 afterwards Sir Robert Christison, lectured to a large class, capti- 

 vating students by his extensive knowledge of the subject he dealt 

 with, and by his flowing and easy delivery. George Harley's eldest 

 daughter afterwards married the nephew of Sir Robert Christison. 

 In the Botanical Gardens, in spring and summer, Balfour would 

 meet his class three or four times a week, and address his students 

 with the impression that everybody ought to be a botanist, and 



vol. lxi. c 



