Journal of Proceedings. xiii
his last resting-place in Westminster Abbey, on Wednesday, April 26th,
by a procession representing all ranks of society, every grade of political
and religious opinion, and every branch of human learning. The gap
caused by the loss of this illustrious leader is one not likely to be soon
filled up, and wherever human culture extends there has been homage paid.
to his memory. Many of the rising naturalists of the present day owe
their first tastes to the writings of Darwin, and much of the work that has
been done by the younger men of the time has been prompted by his ever
ready sympathy and kindly encouragement. The vivacity and earnest-
ness of his manner when in conversation can never be forgotten by those
whose privilege it was to know him personally ; the kindliness of his
disposition and the greatness of his nature will cause him to live in the
hearts and minds of all who ever came in contact with him. It is with
the greatest satisfaction in our own case that I am able to state that he
always took a great interest in our prosperity. While every scientific body
both here and abroad mourns the loss that has befallen it we must not
omit to pay our small tribute of respect to the memory of Charles Darwin,
who honoured us by having his name enrolled upon our first list of
honorary members. I am sure that I am expressing the will of this
Society in moving that the Secretary, on our behalf, should forward a
letter expressing to Mrs. Darwin and the family our sincere sympathy and
condolence for the irreparable loss which they and the country generally
have sustained.
Mr. Worthington Smith said :—I should like to second that proposal
with your permission. I think I need not say a single word more than
Mr. Meldola hag done, which was only a fitting tribute to his memory.
Mr. Darwin was an occasional correspondent of mine, and of course
I, together with all scientific men, held him in the greatest possible
admiration.
The vote was at once agreed to unanimously.
The Secretary exhibited, on behalf of Mr. Charles Wilson, a very fine
specimen of a "fasciated" daisy, from Mersea Island, Essex. The speci-
men appeared to consist of three flowers conjoined. He also exhibited,
on behalf of Mr. Gibbs, a seedling of the Pilewort (Ranunculus ficaria),
concerning which Mr. Gibbs wrote as follows (under date 21st March) :—
"Having read in a magazine that Ranunculus ficaria did not repro-
duce itself from seed, I found last June some ripe achenes of this plant
by the side of a ditch where it grows abundantly. I sowed them, and
have now half-a-dozen seedling plants of R. ficaria, in which the coty-
ledons are laterally coherent, so as to make the young plant look like a
seedling of Sinapis or Brassica, of which one of the cotyledons had been
destroyed."
Mr. Gibbs also sent a "List of native plants found in the neighbour-
hood of Chelmsford" ['Proceedings' ii. 1. note] which is reserved for the
present; and the following note on the characters of the inflorescence in
the genus Acer :—