WILLIAMSON: JOHN WILLIAMSON. 
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England. They made their way, first to Whitby, and afterwards to 
Scarborough, where Alexander Crawford was residing when my mother 
was born. Thirteen children and limited finances made it necessary for 
each member of the family to work; my mother, the oldest daughter, 
early hired a room in her fathers house and sustained herself by 
dress-making, which calling she pursued until my father persuaded 
her to share his home and fortunes at Lyth. 
Even in the days of his courtship, the energy which was so 
characteristic of John Williamson throughout his future life made 
itself manifest. Anxious to spend some of his Sundays with his 
betrothed, and there being but few conveyances in those days 
between Whitby and Scarbrough, he not unfrequently left the gardens 
of the Castle after six o'clock on Saturday evening, and walked to 
Scarbrough during the night ; enjoyed the day in Miss Crawford's 
society, and walked back to Mulgrave during the second night, in 
time to be at the gardens at six o'clock on Monday morning. 
In was during his residence at Mulgrave that my father's thoughts 
were first seriousty directed to any branch of scientific study, and 
British Botany appears to have been the first to engage his attention. 
The district was a likely one to further such a pursuit. The coast-line 
abounded in maritine plants, whilst the woods of Mulgrave, the 
swampy vale of the Esk, and the overhanging brows of the Yorkshire 
Moorlands, offered rich supplies of native plants. The local herbarium 
which he prepared at that time, came into my hands at a later period, 
and gave proof of the care with which he had pursued the study ; 
but another subject attracted some attention at the same period. 
In those early days when geology had but few votaries, the 
Yorkshire coast furnished rich harvests both of fossils and 
"pebbles" which had laid for ages undisturbed and almost unnoticed. 
The term "pebbles," then comprehended the various siliceous 
and felspathic stones known by the names of Camelian, Fortification- 
agate, Onyx, Tube-agate, Mocha, Moss-agate, Jasper, Heliotrope 
or Bloodstone and Adularia or Moon-stone. Many of these were 
originally siliceous constituents of antient fluid lavas, but which as 
the lavas cooled, separated themselves from the Augitic portion, and 
formed Amygdaloidal concretions. The decomposition of the Augite, 
