Dictionary.net

An English naturalist, essayist, and novelist; born in Alwington, Canada, Feb. 24, 1848; died in London, Eng., Oct. 28, 1899. He graduated from Oxford, and was professor at Queen's College, Jamaica, until he settled in England. He early became a follower of Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer, and wrote scientific essays in a picturesque and attractive style. From 1883 he produced a large number of novels, many of which are based on a psychological theme. Among the best of them are: "Babylon" (1885), "The Devil's Die" (1888), and "Under Sealed Orders" (1896).