to its department of ethnology when holding its meeting at Swansea. He was mayor of the borough in 1853–4, and was also colonel of the 1st Glamorgan artillery volunteers, a corps raised by his exertions in 1859. In 1867 Francis communicated to the Swansea newspaper, ‘The Cambrian,’ ‘as the earliest organ of the copper trade,’ some curious papers which he had discovered in the Record Office on the metallurgy of the district. These papers excited considerable attention, and the author consented to gather them together and print fifty copies for presents as ‘The Smelting of Copper in the Swansea District, from the Time of Elizabeth to the Present Day,’ 8vo, Swansea, 1867. So numerous, however, were the inquiries for this book that he published it in 1881 as a quarto volume, illustrated with autotype portraits of men connected with the copper trade, and sketches of places historically interesting from their connection with copper smelting. From a large mass of original documents extant among the Gnoll papers at Neath, Francis was able to add to this second edition many new and important facts; while he personally examined each of the copper-smelting works described in the book.
Francis died at his town house, 9 Upper Phillimore Place, Kensington, 21 April 1882, and was buried on the 26th in Swansea cemetery. By his marriage in 1840 to Sarah, eldest daughter of John Richardson of Swansea, and of Whitby Lodge, Northumberland, he left issue three sons. He was elected F.S.A. 16 Jan. 1845, was its honorary secretary for South Wales, and was also a corresponding member of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and of the Welsh Manuscripts Society. In addition to those already named Francis wrote many other monographs on Welsh history and topography, of which we may mention:
- ‘Original Charters and Materials for a History of Neath and its Abbey, with illustrations, now first collected,’ 8vo, Swansea, 1845 (fifty copies privately printed).
- ‘The Value of Holdings in Glamorgan and Swansea in 1545 and 1717, shown by rentals of the Herbert Family. Edited from the originals,’ fol., Swansea, 1869 (twenty-five copies printed).
- ‘Notes on a Gold Chain of Office presented to the Corporation of Swansea in … 1875, … together with a list of [mayors] from 1835 to 1875,’ 4to, Swansea, London (printed), 1876.
He also assisted L. W. Dillwyn in the latter's ‘Contributions towards a History of Swansea,’ 8vo, Swansea, 1840, joined the Rev. Thomas Bliss in writing ‘Some Account of Sir Hugh Johnys, Deputy Knight Marshal of England, temp. Henry VI and Edward IV, and of his Monumental Brass in St. Mary's Church, Swansea,’ 8vo, Swansea, 1845, and readily gave Dr. Thomas Nicholas the benefit of his varied knowledge in the compilation of the ‘Annals of Counties and County Families of Wales,’ 1872, 1875.
[Swansea and Glamorgan Herald, 26 April and 3 May 1882; Nicholas's Annals, ii. 628; Thomas's Handbook to the Public Records, Introd. p. xviii; Lists of Soc. Antiq.; Brit. Mus. Cat.; Athenæum, 22 April 1882, pp. 510–11.]
FRANCIS, GEORGE WILLIAM (1800–1865), botanical writer, was born in London in 1800. Besides the works enumerated below, he edited the first five volumes of the ‘Magazine of Science and School of Arts,’ 1840–5. His family increasing he emigrated to Australia, arriving in the colony by the Louisa Baillie 2 Sept. 1849. Shortly after his arrival he took the old botanical garden, north of the Torrens river, as a yearly tenant, and was subsequently appointed director of the Adelaide botanic garden. This position he held until his death, after a long illness, of dropsy on 9 Aug. 1865; he was buried the next day. He left a widow and ten children.
He published:
- ‘Catalogue of British Plants and Ferns,’ 1835; 5th edition, 1840.
- ‘Analysis of British Ferns,’ 1837; 5th edition, 1855.
- ‘Little English Flora,’ 1839.
- ‘Grammar of Botany,’ 1840.
- ‘Chemical Experiments,’ 1842, abridged by W. White, 1851, and republished as ‘Chemistry for Students.’
- ‘Favourites of the Flower Garden,’ 1844.
- ‘Manual of Practical Levelling for Railways and Canals,’ 1846.
- ‘Art of Modelling Wax Flowers,’ 1849.
- ‘Electrical Experiments,’ 8th edition, 1855.
- ‘Dict. Practical Receipts,’ new edition, 1857.
- ‘Acclimatisation of Animals and Plants,’ Royal Society, South Australia, 1862.
[South Australian Register, 10 Aug. 1865.]
FRANCIS, JAMES GOODALL (1819–1884), Australian statesman, was born in London in 1819. In 1834 he arrived in Tasmania. He obtained employment in the firm of Boys & Pointer at Hobart. In 1847 the business was transferred to himself together with a partner named Macpherson. In 1853 the firm, Francis & Macpherson, opened a branch establishment in Victoria. Francis became managing partner there and took up his permanent residence in Melbourne. His position rapidly grew in influence. He became director of the bank of New South Wales in 1855, vice-president of the chamber of commerce in 1856, and president in 1857. In
