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sixty years, tliere does not occur an unkind sentence regarding a human 
being. The subject of this memoir was born in the year 1787, and died 
suddenly, but calmly, on Jime 5, 1865, thus completing a tolerably 
long life. Few men have had a wider experience as travellers, or have shown 
so much energy and enterprise in following the path chosen by them. 
Beginning life as a surgeon to the Dumfries Infirmary, he soon tired of the 
routine of hospital practice, and entered the navy as assistant surgeon to the 
Nymph frigate, having passed an examination, which he naively states 
took only fifteen minutes, and was quite easy.” In 1808-9 we find him, 
after some service in the Danish war, promoted to be acting surgeon of 
the Hercules and subsequently surgeon to the Blossom, sloop of war. 
This correspondence shows him as leading an actire life, and as present in 
many of the great engagements of the troubled times in which he lived. 
His first post of scientific importance was that which he obtained in 1819. 
He was the appointed surgeon and naturalist to the expedition being then 
fitted out to explore the Arctic Sea, and he became one of the officers 
appointed to accompany Franklin. This was really the commencement of 
Bichardson’s scientific career. Before joining the expedition he devoted 
himself to the study of the natural sciences, and in this way formed the 
acquaintance of Sir Joseph Banks, Dr. Leach, Dr. J. E. Gray, and many 
other illustrious savants. Of the horrible sufferings of the first Franklin 
expedition, every one knows something. But those who would have the 
miseries undergone by those poor fellows vividly put before them, should 
read Richardson’s letters in Mcllraith’s biography. In 1823 the expedition, 
which had endured so many privations and sufferings, arrived in London. 
The pleasant little volume which Mr. Mcllraith has written describes the 
further incidents of Richardson’s life in terse and vigorous language, and 
since Richardson was so much associated with that great and good man 
Franklin, we urge upon our readers to take the book up and consult its 
pages for themselves. Sir John Richardson deserves better to be known as 
an intrepid explorer than as a. discriminating naturalist ; but it must not on 
that account be thought that his contributions to Zoology, which are both 
numerous and various, are unimportant. Not the least interesting item in 
the History of Sir John Richardson,” is the fact, that he was instrumental 
in introducing to the scientific world a naturalist who has, we may say, 
completely remodelled the whole scheme of Biology. We refer to Professor 
Huxley, who, under the advice of Sir John Richardson, was appointed 
assistant surgeon to the surveying expedition to the Eastern coast of 
Australia. It was in this voyage that Professor Huxley collected the 
materials of his finest monograph, that on the Oceanic Hydrozoa,” one of 
the memoirs of the Ray Society. 
A Key to the Exercises in Gallowaifs First Steps in Chemistry. London : 
Churchill, 1868. This little volume will be found very useful by those 
self-teaching students who possess the original work. It contains th 
answers to and explanations of the Exercises which Mr. Galloway sets the 
student in his First Steps.” 
The Transactions of the Royal Society of Victoria, 1868, have been for- 
warded to us by the Secretary. They form a thick octavo volume, and con- 
