26 
The Club holds its meetings at the Herbarium in Columbia 
College in the evening of the last Tuesday of every month, July 
and August excepted, and all botanists, either residing in or visit- 
ing the city, are invited to attend; or, if they cannot be present at 
that time, to call on the President of the Club at 245, Broadway, 
or on the Secretary at the Herbarium. 
One leading purpose in securing a charter and organizing under 
it was to enable the Club legally to hold such funds as might 
from time to time be contributed to further its efficiency. 
There is present occasion for such assistance in establishing a fund 
of about three thousand dollars for the permanent endowment of 
the Bulletin. This is the only periodical.in the country devoted 
to this attractive and important department of science. It has now 
been published for more than three years, not, we trust, un- 
approved by the botanical community. If secured an exist- 
ence, in the hands of the able men who will more and more resort 
to the vast and precious herbarium of Columbia College, it is hope 
that it may become of lasting service to the science. With this 
expectation, we claim for it a share in the liberality of our country- 
men, 
On assuming the chair, Presipent TourBer made the following 
INAUGURAL ADDRESS. 
GENTLEMEN OF THE Torrey Botanica Crus, 
_ In entering upon the duties of presiding officer, the first_assum- 
ing that office since the Club was incorporated, it would seem 
appropriate for me to give a sketch of the past history of our ass0- 
ciation. WhenI look for materials I find but few. We have no 
record of the date of the beginning of the Club* and its growth has 
been so gradual and its career so uneventful that there is but a brief 
story to tell. ; 
The few botanists of the city, knowing that they would always 
be welcome, were accustomed to visit these rooms from time to time, 
and it sometimes occurred that without any pre-arrangement sev- 
eral happened in on the same evening. At length it was propo 
to have a regular evening for reunion in order not only that we 
might meet the one around whom we all gathered, but that we might 
have the pleasure of seeing one another at stated times. If I am 
not in error this suggestion came from Dr. T. F. Allen, whose prop- 
osition was readily seconded by others. Our beginning was suc 
a gradual accretion that those of us who were among the original 
members can hardly tell how it came to be called even a “ Club. 
We came and went, sometimes two and sometimes a dozen, but 
there was always an informal social gathering. 
Early in the informal existence of the Club it was proposed to 
make a catalogue of the plants of New York and its vicinity. 47 
1817 Dr. John Torrey presented to the New York Lyceum of 
Natural History “ A Catalogue of the Plants growing spontaneously ce 
' a gle 
* Not lwer than 1865.—Eps. 
