252 
THE JOUIINAL OF BOTANY 
interesting reviews of books on Mendelism (1902, 829; 1905, 277; 
1909, 325) and kindred subjects (1903,171; 1907, 105). His paper 
on the botany of Siam (Journ. Hot. 1903, 300) was followed by a 
list of the species, with descriptions of novelties in Bull. Herb. 
Boissier for 1905 ; in the same periodical for 1907 he published a 
“ Florida Gambica,” preceded by a list of collectors of Gambian 
plants. — 
The Cape Argus of May 19, in a brief notice, states that 
“ Mr. Williams had compiled a book on Swiss Hora for the Swiss 
Government by the time he had reached the age of twenty-two, 
and in recognition he was made a Fellow of the Linnean Society ”; 
the Cape Times of May 24 has a paragraph to the same effect. The 
statement is manifestly without foundation, as at the time specified 
Williams had barely completed his medical studies; he was admitted 
to the Linnean Society in the ordinary way, and I had the pleasure 
of being one of the signers of his certificate. 
Williams had a good knowledge of German, French, and Italian ; 
in the two latter languages he published papers, corresponding also 
with French and Italian botanists. A biography of Teodoro Caruel 
(1830-1898)—an excellent example of Williams’s st} T le when writing 
on other than strictly botanical subjects—will be found in this 
Journal for 1899 (p. 258) ; to his liuency in Latin reference has 
already been made. He numbered most British botanists, many of 
whom he knew personally, among his correspondents; he was an 
excellent letter-writer, and his letters contained much botanical 
information. 
Williams’s end came somewhat suddenly. He was wont to boast 
that he had never had a day’s illness, and he always appeared to be 
in perfect health, but towards the end of last year he appeared to be 
somewhat failing—a fact, however, which I attributed to financial 
worries and other troubles. But on his last visit to me in April it 
was painfulty evident that he was far from well; on this occasion he 
had some difficulty in reaching home. Shortly afterwards he was 
moved to the West Middlesex Hospital at lsleworth, where on 
May 6 he succumbed to heart failure, which was also the cause of his 
father’s death, and was buried on the 10th in the New Brentford 
Cemetery at Heston. 
James Bbitten. 
THE PEESENT POSITION OF BOTANY. 
At the meeting of the British Association at Liverpool on 
Sept. 12-19, Mr. A. G. Tansle}% President of the Botanical Section, 
delivered an address on “ Some Aspects of the Present Position of 
Botany,” of which the following are the concluding paragraphs :— 
“ The central and vital part of botany as a science is, and must be, 
the study of process which creates and modifies structure as well as 
of process which is in its turn determined by structure. In reality 
no line can be drawn between processes of these two kinds, for the 
