The late Mr. H. M. Jenkins. 
171 
which he had to make up by later evening work on his imme- 
diate duties to the Society. Here his knowledge of chemistry 
and, of course, geology, grew rapidly and matured. Here, too, 
and at the Gardens in Regent's Park, his botanical studies were 
eagerly and successfully prosecuted. His remarkable literary 
powers also grew under his present training. His note-books, 
always clearlv written, without blot or erasure, were the tersest 
and yet the completest reproduction of the lectures he attended. 
The only one which I have seen is a marvel of good student 
work ; and I have been informed that one of the professors years 
afterwards applied for Jenkins's notes, and used them as the 
basis of a repeated course of lectures, for which his own memo- 
randa were missing. This, coupled with other literary work 
in which his assistance was first permitted and ultimately 
welcomed, was admirable training for his future. The ' Journal 
of the Geological Society,' edited by the Secretary, came under 
his eye in unread proofs from the printer ; and, reading them, 
pencil in hand, he frequently took the liberty of marginal 
corrections not only of printers' errors, but, at length, almost 
unconsciousl}-, of style. " This is not your handwriting," said 
the author of a paper, bringing it to the Secretary and pointing 
out the alterations of an involved sentence, of which he saw a 
pencilled suggestion on the margin of the page. "Not mine; 
it is by a clerk on duty here," was the reply. Jenkins was 
called at his request. " I understand this is your writing, 
young man," was his greeting ; " well, just rub it all out, will 
you " ! But the volunteer corrector of the press had the pleasure, 
nevertheless, of observing afterwards in print that the correction 
in question had been adopted. And at length the Secretary 
could trust his young assistant to take a share in the authorship 
of comment, preface, introduction, or translation — whatever the 
editorial duty might be. Nor was Professor Rupert Jones the 
onlv friend bv whom the voun? assistant in the rooms of the 
Geological Society was thus stimulated and advised. He had 
friendly touch of many of the distinguished men who frequently 
assembled there. Air. Leonard Horner, among others, pushed 
him along with his inquiries and advice, urging him, among 
other things, to master foreign tongues — German, French, 
Ital ian — if he desired to step out of the mere drudgerv cl 
office life. All this time, however, let it be remembered, 
not only had he to struggle with very limited means, but 
the old ill-health remained an added difficulty. " Many a 
time," says his friend, " have I seen this slight young man stop 
more than once to recover breath, as he went upstairs to his 
rooms." The modest pay of his position, barely enough for self- 
maintenance, was at length eked out by literary work in various 
