pene ee re a 
THE WOMBAT. 5 
at least another twenty years. But it was otherwise ordained, and 
it remains for us to see to it that his work is not forgotten. and 
that a fitting memorial is erected to his memory. 
The late professor was born at Alnwick, Northumberland, in 
March, 1840, and as a lad he showed his bent towards natural 
history, and distinguished himself early by gaining prizes and 
exhibitions, which assisted in the completion of his training. He 
then undertook teaching work for a time, and gained experience 
therein that ever after stood him in good stead. He conducted 
geological classes at the Polytechnic Institution, and was 
subsequently senior science master in the Trade and Mining 
School at Bristol ; for three years after he conducted schools of 
science in the North of Ireland, In 1864 he was appointed 
curator to the Geological Society of London, haying been elected a 
Fellow in 1861. During this time he also conducted science 
teaching in London. In 1867 he visited Central America, where 
he had splendid opportunities of farthering his studies in geology 
and natural history, and, needless to say, he availed himself of 
them to the full, Returning to England, after having visited other 
parts of America en route, he made Durham his headquarters, and 
there gave science instruction. 
_ _ In 1875 the Elder Professorship of Natural History at the 
University of Adelaide was founded, and Ralph Tate was the 
successful applicant; this position he held till his death in 
September last, and it speaks volumes for the man that he was 
not only able to keep abreast with the rapid advances of science 
generally, but that he acted as a leader in his own particnlar lines, 
especially paleontology and botany. In England he was best 
known for his palsontological work on the Lias fossils and for his 
appendix to Woodward’s “ Manual of Mollusca.’ In Australia he 
has been best known for his tertiary paleontology and conchological 
and botanical researches. He always endeayoured to advance the 
study of natural science, and was amongst the first in founding the 
Royal Society ot South Australia (or, as it was originally known, 
the Philosophical Society), being its first president. He has also 
occupied very proininent positions at the meetings of the 
Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, having 
held the presidential chair of the Biological Section at the first 
meeting in Sydney in 1888, and of the Geological Section in 
Melbourne in 1900, and the presidency of the association in 
Adelaide in 1898, 
He was a member, or corresponding member, of uumerous 
Australian and English scientific societies, and his work as a 
Scientist has been recognised by the award of the balance of the 
proceeds of the ‘‘ Murchison Fund” by the Geological Society of 
London in 1874, and of the Clarke Memorial Medal by the Royal 
Society of New South Wales in 1892. 
