32 Proceedings of the Royal Society 
meetings such as ours, and a taste for science generally. This, 
indeed, was Dr Traill’s forte. His tenacious memory storing up 
the results of considerable reading and extensive conversational 
intercourse, supplied him with ready materials for illustrating any 
topic brought under his notice. It is not surprising that, trusting 
largely to memory, his accuracy is not in all cases perfectly to be 
relied on. He was nominally editor of the eighth edition of the 
Encyclopaedia Britannica, and he certainly contributed to it some 
forty articles ; but his responsibility was, I believe, chiefly conflned 
to the earliest volumes, the greater part having been practically 
edited by the able publisher, Mr Adam Black. 
Latterly, owing to infirmity. Dr Traill ceased to attend the 
meetings of this Society, where he had, for a quarter of a century, 
occupied a familiar place. But his lectures he never discontinued, 
and persevered with them until within twelve days of his death'. 
It was well known to his colleagues, that had he lived to complete 
that course, which was his thirtieth, he would then have resigned 
his chair. He died at Edinburgh, on the 30th July last, in his 
eighty-first year, being the fourth octogenarian on our list. 
Yet one more venerable colleague and useful member remains 
to be noticed. 
Mr John Bussell, writer to the Signet, and for eighteen years 
treasurer of the Society, was born 22d February 1780. He was 
descended from three generations of men who had exercised in Edin- 
burgh the same respectable calling. By his mother’s side, however, 
he inherited of right a taste for literature ; for she was daughter of 
Principal Eobertson, an honourable connection, which Mr Bussell 
always loved to recall. In point of fact, Mr Bussell retained through- 
out an active professional career both the tastes and acquirements of 
a well-educated man and a scholar. He was intimate with many of 
Orkney,” and on “ Berg-meal, or Mineral Flour of Degersfors, in Swedish 
Lapland.” In vol. xvi., “ Memoir of Dr T. 0. Hope.” In vol. xx., “ On a 
Peruvian Musical Instrument.” In vol. xxi., “ On the Torhanehill Mineral.” 
These titles give a good general idea of the varied subjects of Dr Traill’s 
communications. His last contribution to the Society seems to have been that 
made on 15th February 1868, Description of the Sulphur Mine of Conil [in 
Spain], preceded by a Notice of the Geological Features of the Southern por- 
tion of Andalucia.” An abstract appears in our “Proceedings,” vol. iv. p. 77. 
