350 THE EETUEN FEO^I INDIA 
deputed Lord Eosse,^ President of the Eoj^al Society, Eobert 
Brown, the botanist, representing the British Museum, and 
William Hopkins,^ President of the Geological Society, to 
press the Government on a matter of so much importance to 
f^cience. By the following spring, just a year after his retmii, 
these representations produced their effect. The Department 
authorised the grant for three years, to the end of 1854. 
Meantime in September he was in the act of moving into 
Alton's old house in the Gardens when very onerous conditions 
were sprung upon him by the authorities. Eefusing to be 
saddled with such a burden while his footing was still un- 
certain, he broke off at once. Furniture and all were taken 
away again. 
My collections [he tells Harvey a couple of months later] 
were tm-ned out neck and crop of course — the dried plants 
into the Temple of the Sun, and the rest into the back shed 
of the Orangery ! where they are going the way of all paren^ 
chyma and pleurenchyma ! 
He finally settled in a house, now No. 350 Kew Eoad, 
belonging to Mr. Bryan, the Yicar, w^here the Curator, John 
Smith the elder, had spent his last years. Here he brought his 
wdfe, for at the beginning of August he had married Frances 
Henslow. Their engagement had been a long one, but this 
price had been paid dehberately. His position in the botani- 
cal world had to be assured by his great travels in India. 
Perfect confidence and rare strength of mind wxre needed to 
resolve upon a three years' separation within a few months 
of their engagement. But by birth and training she was able 
to help in his work, to share his aims, and appreciate the 
worth of their joint sacrifice. 
Still, even after such sacrifice and achievement, his chosen 
^ The third Earl of Rosso (1800-67), whose laborious experiments for the 
improvement of the reflecting telescope culminated in the great telescope at 
Parsonstown, first used in 1845. 
^ William Hopkins (1793-1866), mathematician and geologist, nicknamed 
while tutor at Peterhouse ' the Senior-wrangler maker ' : a teacher of Stokes 
and Kelvin, Tait and Clerk-Maxwell. He applied mathematical and astro- 
nomical tests to geological reasoning. Was elected President of the Geological 
Society 1851, and of the British Association 1853. 
