156 MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN. 



The closing speech of the evening was made by Dr. 

 James Hall, the Director of the Cabinet of Natural History 

 of the State of New York, who was thus introduced by the 

 Chairman : — 



It has been very pleasant to us who live here, to be told 

 by those who know whereof they speak that St. Louis is 

 reckoned one of the older cities of this country, so far as the 

 pursuit and promotion of natural science is concerned. 

 Not many years have passed, as nations count years, since 

 virgin forests, penetrated only by the wandering savage, 

 covered the ground now occupied by many miles of well 

 built streets, the busy haunts of industry and traffic. Even 

 during Mr. Shaw's active business life, before he conceived 

 the plan which during forty years afterwards he was en- 

 gaged in carrying out, the idea of founding, in the Far 

 West, a Trust like this for the promotion of botanical 

 science, would have been considered, if considered at all, 

 as something which belonged to the far distant future. 



And yet, gentlemen, we are gratified this evening by the 

 presence of a student, let me rather say a master, in natural 

 science, who first visited the then distant West, fifty years 

 ago, as a student of natural science, and whose long life has 

 been devoted to its pursuit. Dr. Hall, the Director of the 

 Cabinet of Natural History of the State of New York, has 

 not only done us the honor to come a thousand miles to be 

 present on this occasion, but has kindly consented to tell us 

 something of his own experience during those years through 

 which he has watched the growth and aided in the develop- 

 ment of science in this country. 



DR. HALL. 



Mr. Chairman and Gentlemen: After all the good things 

 have been said, what can I say? After such an eloquent 

 appeal in favor of Betula alba, one of my early acquaint- 

 ances, perhaps even before I studied botany, I can only, as 



