fire remains, and that I may yet be of some use in natural history." The occasion was as welcome to his correspondents as to himself. He writes to Mr Yarrell :

"King's Coll., Oct. 28. 1841.

My Dear Sir,-Many years have now elapsed since I had the pleasure of corresponding with you on subjects congenial to our tastes. In the interval, my attention has been almost wholly withdrawn from the pursuits of Natural History, having been forced by the calls of duty to occupy my thoughts and time otherwise. Although I must therefore say with Pliny-' Ho mines enim sumus et occupati officiis succisivis que temporibus ista curamus'-yet I do not despair of occasionally making an observation which may interest you and other active naturalists.

"As the first fruits, encouraging these hopes, I beg your acceptance of the accompanying short paper on a skate, which seems to be an addition to the British Fauna. Having reason to believe that Otto's fish was not generally known to the cultivators of British Ichthyology, I thought that a republication of his figure as that of a Scottish fish would likewise be acceptable. Otto's figure was probably taken from a dried specimen, the one of the Aberdeen species was executed from the recent fish.

I possess, and highly value, your three vols. on British Fishes, and frequently find myself exclaiming, How fortunate are the students of British Zool. now-a-days, to have such helps as those which you, and Bell, and* Johnston, and Forbes have furnished!

"I shall at all times be delighted to hear of your welfare and success in the cause to which you have already contributed so largely. Meanwhile I remain, my dear Sir, very faithfully yours."

Mr Yarrel answers :

"Ryder Street, St James', 30th Nov. 1841. "Dear Sir,-Your letter and pamphlet came duly to hand on the 1st of the present month, for both of which I am very much obliged; the letter was indeed a sincere gratification to me, as it is now many years since we exchanged a communication.

"I have now to apologise for allowing that letter to remain a whole month unanswered, but in truth I was unwilling to permit your kind remembrancer and present of a copy of your paper on two new genera of Rays, to remain without an attempt on my part at requital, and I have waited accordingly till the publication this day of the 28th Part of the British Birds, that I might send you a copy, and beg your acceptance in return. This part contains an account of our British Swans, and includes besides several pages on a subject connected with the Mute Swan, which has not hitherto been introduced in the history of that bird in ornithological works. I hope it may amuse you, and that you may consider it a legitimate part of the subject.

"It is gratifying to me to know that you think so highly of the character of the series of works on the Natural History of the British Islands, now in course of publication; the second edition of the Fishes has now been for some weeks past before the public, and the Birds of which you have an example herewith, have a very extensive sale. I am, my dear Sir, yours very truly, "WM. YARRELL."

Mr Selby returns answer :

"Twizel-House, Jan. 17. 1842.

"My Dear Sir,-I feel quite ashamed when I look at the date of your letter, to find that I should have allowed it to remain so long without an answer, but the very day on which I received it, I left home for London. Let me now thank you for your paper containing the description, &c., of the curious skate found upon the Aberdeenshire coast, an earnest I hope of the renewed interest you feel towards natural history pursuits, for which department of science you have already done so much. Whether the carrion crow and hooded crow of Fife and Aberdeenshire constitute but one species, I will not venture to determine, but of this I feel perfectly certain, that the carrion crow of England, common in this part of the country, is a species perfectly distinct from the hooded or grey-backed crow, which only visits us during the winter season. The habits of the one are quite different from those of the other, and they are very rarely seen in company together. The hooded crow keeps generally near to the coast, where it often associates with the rook, feeding upon marine animal matter, as well as upon the refuse of the dunghill, &c. The carrion crow very rarely resorts to the coast, but keeps more inland, and affects our woods and plantations, and out of hundreds that for the last thirty years have been bred in my own woods, I never knew an individual that assumed anything like the livery of the hooded crow.

Professor Sedgwick acknowledges the receipt of the Descrip

Cambridge, April 13. 1842. 'My Dear Sir,-I have this moment received your kind note, and your essay upon an odd fish, for both of which I warmly thank you. Your friendly expressions delight me; for I have always regarded you a good man and true, who had toiled hardly and successfully in the cause of truth and knowledge. Of such a man I shall, I trust, ever continue to value the friendship very highly. I wish your engagements permitted you oftener to move southwards. We now have something worth looking at. A new Geological Museum, in which we can make a show of our underground riches, and a fine collection of comparative anatomy, brought together during the superintendence of our present Professor, Dr Clarke. Owen of the College of Surgeons, has been here several times, and thinks much of both our collections."

His friend Dr Johnston was not less prompt :

"Berwick-upon-Tweed, Nov. 17. 1841.

"Dear Sir,-I feel particularly gratified and pleased by the receipt of your kind letter. Allow me to thank you for it, and for the friendly criticism it contains, and, to conclude this part of my business, I will also thank you for the paper descriptive of the curious skate, and for the specimens of the sponges.

"I have not yet had leisure to make a full examination of your Cydonium, but enough to satisfy me of its nature. It is an object of much interest, and the type of a genus new to Great Britain. There is no doubt in my mind that it is in fact a species of Geodia. This genus has been inaccurately characterised by Lamark, but Milne-Edwards has described it well. I do not find that he has characterised any species, of which he seems to know several. The Alcyonium primum di Dioscoride of Donati, is one, perhaps different from yours, though it is not easy to say. Your description appears to me to have been made partly from Muller's and partly from your own specimen, but as Geodia is a sponge, it can have no polypes, neither can it be Muller's A. cydonium. I have again looked at the figure of this, and notwithstanding all you urge, I remain in my old opinion. The next time you get an orange variety of Lobulari, put it into a glass jar, and after an hour or so, you will see Alcyonium cydonium as like to Muller's figure as ever Viola was to Sebastian.

"The Tethea I sent you is your Tethea sphærica-the Spongia verrucosa of Montagu. It varies a good deal in wartiness. I have seen it quite smooth.

"Mr Bowerbank is making wonderful discoveries in the structure of sponges. The Spongia fragilis of Montagu I had made the type of a new genus-Dyseidea; but perhaps I scarcely understood the structure at the time. However, Bowerbank adopts the genus. I wish I had my work on Sponges to rewrite. I have murdered the subject. I trust you have seen Yarrel's new edition of his Fishes; he has not your skate.

"From the kind manner in which you have offered me your assistance, I shall not hesitate to apply to you on some future occasion. I can only say, that whatever I can do for you in the way of sending specimens, &c., any I have is at your service. I do wish you could resume your Natural History labours. We have a lack of naturalists of your calibre and extent of views; there are enow of the genus to which your humble servant belongs. I am, dear Sir, yours very respectfully. GEORGE JOHNSTON."

While they rejoice in their friend's return to Natural History, it is not uninteresting to notice how quickly each hastens to his own favourite line of study-Yarrel and Selby to Birds, Sedgwick to Geology, and Johnston to Zoophytes. f

CHAPTER VI. 1843 to 1845.

East Coast Harbours of Refuge

The Disruption -- Threatened Expulsion from the Nat. Phil. Chair-Letter to Dr Chalmers-Prospects-Scheme of a New Chair for Natural Science-Chalmers' Views on the New Chair -Letters of Chalmers-Dr Welsh-Inverness Assembly-Appointment to New College Chair of Natural Science-Anxiety about the futureMovement among the Laity-Letter from James Cunningham, Esq.Resolutions-J. Bonar, Esq.-Dr Duff.

THOUGH, as we have seen, Dr Fleming was very far from indifferent as to the issues of the ten years' conflict in the Church for spiritual independence, and though he saw clearly that his own position as a Professor in one of the National Universities, over which the Church to a certain extent had control, might be endangered, he was yet found calmly working at his favourite pursuits. His energies, however, were not directed to science alone; they took a direction social rather than scientific. His residence at Aberdeen had made him acquainted with the loss of life that yearly occurred on the East Coast, for want of safe harbours into which vessels might run when overtaken by a storm. He threw his characteristic energy into this; and having extended a short paper which he had read to the Aberdeen Phil. Soc., it was communicated to the Edin. New Phil. Jour., under the title, "On the Expediency of forming Harbours of Refuge on the East Coast of Scotland, between the Moray Frith and the Frith of Forth." In the opening of this useful paper, he says:-"That no public inquiry should have been instituted respecting the exposed state of the East Coast of Scotland, with a view to the formation of Harbours of Refuge, when it was granted elsewhere, may seem inexplicable, unless we bear in mind that lamentable apathy exhibited by our representatives in Parliament, whenever

Scottish interests of a general character is concerned." Before indicating the most suitable sites for harbours of refuge, he brings his geological knowledge to bear on the question, and points out the localities to be avoided. The places at which rivers reach the sea, are shewn to be least convenient for such purposes. "When we examine a Valley of any extent with the eye of a geologist, we generally find that the rocks which exist in its trough, are softer and more easily acted upon, than those which form the boundary ridges. The valleys necessarily form the recipients of rain water, and constitute river basins; and the rivers thus formed by them, and flowing through, serve, in turn, to augment their capacity, by carrying to a lower level the disintegrated materials which have been produced by atmospheric influence. These materials become accumulated at the junction of the river with the sea, and constitute, in certain cases, those deltas which frequently occasion a subdivision of the main stream." These remarks are fully illustrated, and the localities pointed out that seem best fitted for harbours of refuge. Some attention has already been paid to this subject by those interested in our marine, and it is to be hoped that the views thus brought out by Dr Fleming, in the spirit of patriotism and philanthropy, will not be lost sight of by our Scottish representatives, many of whom are now not indifferent to the general interests of the country.

Dr Fleming joined the Free Church at the Disruption. As he had expected, his position in King's College was threatened, and he was a good deal annoyed by daily rumours of action being about to be taken by the Established Church, against all the professors in the different Universities who had identified themselves with the Free Church. St Andrews was forward in this work. The steps taken there against Sir David Brewster, and the indignation which they called forth among the leading minds of Britain, are well known. Dr Fleming received information, which he believed perfectly trustworthy, that immediate steps were to be taken, which would present to him the alternative either of resigning his chair in King's College, or of conforming to the Established Church. He was