269 
OBITUARY. 
WILLIAM CARRUTHERS, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.L.S., F.G.S. 
William Carruthers, the doyen of the botanical world, died on 
June 2; he had just entered his 93rd year, having been born on 
May 29, 1830, at Moffat, in Dumfries. Educated at Edinburgh 
for the Presbyterian Ministry his interests, however, were such 
that he decided on following a scientific career. An acquaintance 
with Dr. Robert Chambers led to his contributing the geological 
articles to the first edition of “ Chambers’ Encyclopaedia.” In 
1859 he became assistant (the only assistant at the time) in the 
Department of Botany of the British Museum, filling a vacancy 
caused by the death of the famous Robert Brown. In 1871 he 
succeeded J. J. Bennett as Keeper of the Department, and in the 
same year was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Almost his 
first official duty as Keeper was to appear before the Royal 
Commission on Scientific Instruction and to make a successful 
defence for the continued existence of his department at the British 
Museum. It was during his tenure of office (1871 to 1895) that 
the Natural History Collection was removed to the new museum at 
South Kensington (1881), affording an opportunity for improve- 
ment and expansion of which Dr. Carruthers was not slow to avail 
himself. One may say, in fact, that the arrangement and equipment 
of the galleries assigned to Botany at the museum form a lasting 
memorial of his knowledge and skill. Under his care the Herbarium 
was arranged and increased by the addition of many valuable 
historical collections ; in the Department of Cryptogamic Botany 
he had the assistance of Mr. George Murray. With the aid of a 
large grant from the Treasury, and with his knowledge and apprecia- 
tion of botanical literature, he was enabled to form what is perhaps 
the finest botanical library in the world. The rearrangement of 
the valuable collection of original botanical drawings and manu- 
scripts was carried out under his superintendence. To his initiation 
we owe a series of valuable botanical monographs, of which two, 
Crombie’s “ British Lichens ” and Lister’s “ Mycetozoa,” were 
issued under his editorship. 
Dr. Carruthers was elected a Fellow of the Linnean Society in 
1861 ; from 1886 to 1890 he was President, and his term of 
service included the centenary celebrations of 1888. He represented 
the Society at the bi-centenary celebrations of the birth of Linnaeus 
in 1907, and his doctorate, Ph.D. of Upsala University, was con- 
ferred on that occasion. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal 
T 
