Proceedings of the Linnean Society of London - University Library

LINNBAN SOCIETY OP LONDON. 4
our Society in 1896. Those who had the pleasure of meeting him
from time to time at the Linnean Club iu the latter pai't of his
life will remember his dignified presence and amiable manners.
On one of these occasions, conversation having turned to the ever
fertile subject of affection between man and other animals, he told
an experience of his own. Recollection of what he then said has
been kindly confirmed by Lady Low, who writes as follows:
" The pet animal in question was one of the Gibbon Monkeys.
It never left my husband, sat by his pillow, travelled with him on
his elephant with its
worked in his office.
arms round his
He had cured
neck, sat by him while he
the little beast of a bad
wound early in their acquaintance, and this may have helped to
deepen its devotion to him. But he had a quite extraordinary
power of attracting and keeping the devotion of all weaker
creatures. His strength and his tenderness were alike so great."
In its last illness " the little monkey in question had to be put
out of my husband's bed and to have a little warm bed made for
it beside him on the verandah. It raised itself up at the last and
died with its chin leaning on the ledge that separated it from its
master and its eyes fixed on him." This Avas exactly the story
told by Sir Hugh Low himself, except that he said nothing about
the curing of the wound, and implied by his tone that all credit
for the friendship was due to the monkey and none to the man.
In his intercourse with his fellow human beings, civilized or uncivihzed,
he appears to have uniformly acted in a lofty spirit of
unselfishness. While never missing an opportunity for furthering
the interests of science, he sought no personal recognition. He
suppressed his own ardent longing for scientific pursuits, because
love of his neighbour demanded from him work of a more immediately
practical character. His widow writes :— " He never sought
nor cared for rev\ard or praise. The love and veneration which
surrounded him in his closing years were to him always a matter
of unfeigned surprise and of a gentle pleasure for my sake who
had the privilege for twenty years of sharing his life and fortunes."
Permission has been obtained for confirming the testimonies of
domestic affection and pri\ate friendship by the publication of the
following official letter addressed to Lady Low from Downing
Street, April 27, 1905 :—
" Madam, I am directed by jNIr. Secretary Lyttelton to express
the regret with which he has learned of the death of your husband,
Sir Hugh Low, and to convey to you his sympathy with you in
your bereavement.
" Sir Hugh Low for forty years rendered exceptional service to
the British Government in Labuan and in the Malay Peninsula.
Taking up the appointment of Resident of Perak at a time of
peculiar difficulty, he laid the foundation and in large measure
reared the structure of the present prosperity of the Federated
Malay States.
" He won the confidence of the Native Races placed under his
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