MEMOIR OF ROBERT VVIGHAM. 
301 
indeed and I mean to adopt his method when I begin to collect again, for 
I havo not done much amongst them for these last two years having had 
hut indifferent health for that time, but I was at the Hydropathic establish- 
ment at Umberstrode near Birmingham last winter and was a great deal 
better by the process and now I am better than I have been for several 
years. I am about getting a good new microscope with Ross’s glasses and 
mean to have a fresh start; I was very much pleased & few years ago by 
meeting with Diatoma striatulum at Cromer on Cladophera taterirens 
plentiful in May and where you had first found it man}' years ago. I found 
it on several of the Polysiphonias also, particularly the nigrcscens and 
elongata. I had the pleasure of seeing your son at the Ipswich meeting 
please give my best respects to him. With best respects to yourself and 
family and sincero wishes for your welfare. 
I remain yours very respectfully 
ROBERT VVIGHAM 
It will be seen from the conclusion of this letter that in later 
life Robert Wighain had been at work at the Diatomacese, and 
he worked with his microscope with the same enthusiasm that 
he had shown in all his natural history studies. In his letters 
Professor Walker Arnott thanks him for sending gatherings from 
places in Norfolk and Sulfolk, which he had found to contain 
some truly good things; among these was a Chmtoceros, which 
was afterwards named * Wighamii,’ and which is referred to by 
Mr. Thomas Brightwell in his paper on Cluetoceros in the ‘Journal 
of Microscopical Science’ for 185G, where he says: 
“ \Y r e have named this species after the discoverer, Mr. Wigham, 
an excellent, practical botanist, indefatigable in the pursuit of his 
favourite study, and most liberal in his communications to his 
friends.” 
Robert Wigham for many years attended regularly the meetings 
of the British Association ; and in an interesting letter to his 
friend Mr. Ilenry Bidwell of Ipswich, he describes that held in 
Belfast in IS52. After giving an account of his journey, and his 
stay at Dublin on the way, he writes : 
“ I reached Belfast about half-past three, got my ticket at the 
reception room, which is in the railway station, and got very 
comfortable quarters at the Plow Hotel in the corn market. The 
sections hold their meetings in the Queen’s College, a most 
superb place. I met Professor Allman on Thursday morning, who 
immediately put my name on the committee, and introduced me to 
