of Edinburgh, Session 1884 - 85 . 
357 
strator of Anatomy in Edinburgh University, under Professor 
Goodsir and Professor Turner. In 1874, on the amalgamation of 
the Manchester Medical School and Owens College, he was elected 
there Professor of Anatomy. Whilst holding that appointment he 
wrote valuable papers on zoological subjects, the last being an 
elaborate memoir of above 200 quarto pages on the Penguin , from 
notes taken during the voyage of the “ Challenger.” 
Professor Morrison Watson’s career of usefulness was cut short in 
a strikingly impressive manner. Whilst delivering a lecture to his 
students he suddenly became speechless and unconscious, owing, as 
was afterwards discovered, to the rupture of a blood-vessel in the 
head. So precarious was his condition, that for three weeks he 
could not be moved from the college. He was then carried to a 
convalescent hospital adjoining the college, but he survived there 
only a few days. 
Genercd Sir James Alexander , K.C.B., of Westerton (Stirling- 
shire), who died a few weeks ago, occasionally attended our meet- 
ings, but I am not aware that he contributed any papers. 
As an officer in a Scotch regiment, he saw much active service in 
foreign lands, viz., New Zealand, at the Cape of Good Hope, and 
also in Egypt. 
When in Egypt, he became interested in the great buildings and 
obelisks of antiquity ; and when he returned home, endeavoured to 
bring about some arrangement for transporting to this country 
Cleopatra’s Needle. Having heard that the late Captain Donaldson 
Boswell, R.N., of Wardie, had entertained the same idea, and had 
submitted to the Admiralty a report showing how the transport of 
the obelisk might be accomplished, Sir James applied to me to assist 
him in procuring access to these plans, my brother, Sir Alexander 
Milne, being then at the Admiralty. These plans having been 
obtained, Sir James went with them back to Egypt, and satisfied 
himself of the possibility of removing the prostrate obelisk. Having 
received from the Khedive permission to construct a huge box, to 
contain and float the obelisk, he returned to England, and applied 
first to the Admiralty, and then to the Treasury, for the necessary 
funds, which he estimated would amount to £10,000. His appli- 
cations in these quarters having been peremptorily refused, he next 
appealed to a wealthy personal friend, Dr Erasmus Wilson of Lon- 
