556 
Notes . 
heir of the past, and that the present was fraught with the responsibility 
of that which is to come. Now there were circumstances connected 
with the study of botany in this institution, which had been dwelt 
upon by his own distinguished predecessor in the institution over which 
he himself presided, which illustrated the never-ending responsibility of 
academic work; for if it had not been for the work of Sir Joseph 
Hookers father in this University he did not think that Kew would be 
to-day what it is ; and as the University of Glasgow looked to Bologna, 
so did Kew look to Glasgow. At the commencement of the reign of 
our late revered Sovereign it had been determined to make of the royal 
demesne a great scientific institution, and the Government turned to 
Glasgow and found in Sir Wm. Hooker a man who could administer 
and develop it. The reason they turned to Sir Wm. Hooker was 
because he had founded in this University a new and original school ; 
and he carried the traditions of his work from Glasgow to Kew, where 
they had there been perpetuated. He was told that there were those 
who thought that this was too large a building to devote to so small a 
subject as botany. But what subject of interest did botany not touch ? 
Darwin said : ‘I love plants ; they present all the secrets of life in 
their simplest form/ They found revealed in plants, in simpler form 
than could be observed in the animal economy, the inscrutable problem 
of life, and it was the study of these problems that would be pursued in 
this building. They had with them Lord Lister, and they knew the 
service he had rendered to humanity by curbing the lethal ends of 
obscure branches of the vegetable kingdom in their inroads on suffering 
humanity. In this great city, with its extensive commerce, there were 
problems absolutely immeasurable in the investigation of vegetable 
materials and in their application in the arts. It had been said 
that even the science of jurisprudence might be approached by the 
study of botany. The practical study of that science brought the 
student into immediate connexion with nature, and gave him the power 
of making accurate observations and drawing conclusions from what 
he had seen. Sir William concluded by congratulating Professor 
Bower and the University of Glasgow on the work he had done 
in connexion with the botanical department. 
Lord Lister said it was a very great privilege to propose a vote of 
thanks to the veteran botanist of world-wide reputation — Sir Joseph 
Hooker. They rejoiced that the natural physical vigour which he 
exhibited so remarkably in his most wonderful and fruitful explora- 
