Vlll 



His other principal botanical papers are " On the Origin of the 

 Flora of the European Alps," read before the Royal Geographical 

 Society, and a discussion on the origin of the South American flora, 

 published in his ' Notes of a Naturalist.' 



Mr. Ball's ' Notes of a Naturalist in South America,' is a work 

 unique of its kind. It embraces the observations and reflections on 

 various scientific subjects that he made, or that suggested themselves 

 to him, during a five months' voyage extending over 18,400 miles of 

 ocean and embracing 100° of latitude, during which he passed only 

 seventy days on land. The route was from England via the West 

 Indies to Panama, thence down the West Coast of South America to 

 Chili, through the Straits of Magellan to the Plate river, and to Brazil, 

 and so home. At whatever point he landed, or even touched, he was 

 quick to secure a trip to the mountains or forests, bringing back 

 collections and notes of value and interest ; and the result is a work 

 of which it has justly been pronounced to be worthy of a corner on 

 the same shelf as those of Darwin, Walker, and Bates. In fact, no 

 other narrative gives consecutively a view in accurate outline of 

 the geographical, meteorological, and botanical features, absolute and 

 comparative, of the different countries along the West Coast of South 

 America from Panama to Fuegia. An appendix contains a de- 

 scription " of the fall of temperature in ascending heights above the 

 sea level," and " Remarks on Mr. Croll's Theory of Secular Changes of 

 the Earth's Climate." The botanical results are embodied in a paper 

 read since his death before the Linnean Society of London. 



In meteorology, besides the appendix to the ' Notes of a Naturalist,' 

 mentioned above, he contributed papers " On Thermometric Observa- 

 tions in the Alps," and " On the Determination of Heights by means 

 of the Barometer," to the 'Reports of the British Association;' and 

 he was the first to suggest the utilisation of the electric telegraph for 

 meteorological purposes connected with storm warnings, in a paper 

 " On Rendering the Electric Telegraph Subservient to Meteorological 

 Research," read before the British Association in 1848. This sugges- 

 tion was not carried into effect till 1861. 



On the subject of glaciers, he published in the Geological Society's 

 Journal a notice of '• The former existence of small Glaciers in the 

 County of Kerry," and in the ' Philosophical Magazine,' papers on 

 the Structure of Glaciers, on the cause of their Descent, and " On 

 the Formation of Alpine Valleys and Alpine Lakes." 



Personally Mr. Ball was one of the most agreeable of men, of an 

 affectionate nature, of warm sympathies, simple minded, and generous 

 in thought and action. His company was much sought, from the 

 fund of information he possessed, and the charm of his manner in 

 communicating it. His services to science were perfectly disinterested, 

 and his aid never withheld. His position in society was a rare one, 



