Page:American Medical Biographies - Kelly, Burrage.djvu/114

BELL arbitrament of arms is, whether or not our children are to have a country. My own health and strength have amazed me. I have recalled a hundred times your remark that 'a man's lungs were the strongest part of him.' It has so proved with me. Had I another page, I should run on with a narrative of my exploits on horseback, excursions, reviews, etc., which sometimes make me question whether, in the language of our 'spiritualistic' friends, I have not left the form; and certainly I have entered on another sphere."

It has been said of Luther Vose Bell that nature was lavish to him in physical as well as in mental gifts. He was much above the common stature, and the grace of his carriage was perhaps heightened by a certain negligence in his dress.



Bell, Robert (1841–1917)

Robert Bell was assistant director and chief geologist of the Geological Survey of Canada and for several years acted as director of the Survey, as well as one of the charter members of The Royal Society of Canada. He was born in Toronto on June 3, 1841, and was in his 77th year when he died at Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, June 19, 1917.

Both his grandfather, Rev. William Bell, and his father, Rev. Andrew Bell, were ministers of the Church of Scotland. His father was one of the pioneers of Canadian geology, and when Sir William Logan was called by the government of the United Provinces of Upper and Lower Canada to establish a Geological Survey, one of the first Canadians with whom he conferred on this subject was Dr. Bell's father, Rev. Andrew Bell. Dr. Bell therefore came justly by his predilection for geological and natural history studies.

Dr. Bell obtained his early education at the grammar school of the County of Prescott and afterwards studied at McGill University, under the distinguished scientists, Dr. T. Sterry Hunt and Dr. Sutherland, receiving his degree in Applied Science in 1861 and the Governor's gold medal. He afterwards pursued his studies in Edinburgh, taking chemistry under Lords Fairplay and Lister and Professors Dittmar and Crum Brown, and botany under Professor J. H. Balfour. At the age of 21 years he became professor of chemistry and natural science at Queen's University, a chair which he held for five years from 1863 to 1867. Previous to accepting the professorship at Queen's, Dr. Bell in 1857, at the early age of 16, had joined the staff of the Geological Survey of Canada under Sir W. E. Logan, and for over 50 years he was connected with that branch of the government service. He had the privilege of being associated with Murray, Hunt, Billings, and Richardson, all men of high ideals and attainments with whom it was an inspiration to work and from whom he had imbibed an enthusiasm for geological exploration and research which he retained throughout his life. During his 50 years of active connection with the survey, Dr. Bell accomplished an enormous amount of geological work, but he was pre-eminent as an explorer, and it is in that branch of work that his name will be remembered by succeeding generations. He had practical training as a surveyor at McGill University, and to further equip himself to meet emergencies that might arise in the course of his exploratory journeys he completed a course in medicine and surgery at the same University in 1878. His geographical and geological surveys covered a great part of northern Quebec and Ontario and the region about Hudson Bay as well as nothernnorthern [sic] Manitoba, Alberta and the North West Territories, and he traversed at one time or other most of the larger streams and lakes of these regions, many of them being surveyed by him for the first time. The Bell river, the western branch of the Nottaway river, is officially named after him.

His reports contain a fund of information on the geological and physical features of that northern country that was of great value to the government and the locating engineers at the time that the building of the National Transcontinental railway was under discussion and when different portions of that region became opened up. He was attached to several expeditions into Hudson Bay, was medical officer and geologist to the Neptune expedition in 1884 and the Alert expedition of 1885. Again when on the Diana expedition in 1897, he surveyed the south shore of Baffinland and penetrated that island to the great lakes of its interior. He came in close contact with the Indians on his trips and his collection of native legends numbers several hundreds. Dr. Bell was deeply interested in forestry and as early as 1873 he prepared a large map showing the northern limits of the principal trees in the four original provinces of the Dominion. Later he made other maps