546 Brittox : Dr. Torrey as a Botanist 



identification of the specimens actually examined by him leaves 

 nothing to be desired. His last published works are the " Re- 

 vision of the Eriogoneae," jointly with Dr. Gray, and " Phanero- 

 gamia of Pacific North America " issued in 1874, subsequent to 

 his death, which occurred on March 10, 1873. 



Dr. Torrey's botanical correspondence was very voluminous, 

 and much of it is preserved both at Columbia and at Harvard. 

 He was in correspondence with practically all the prominent tax- 

 onomists of his time. He was little given to argument, criticism or 

 discussion, and, while difficult to divert from a course once deter- 

 mined upon, there is little left to show that he was acrimonious or 

 unpleasant to any of his contem poraries. Even with the original 

 and discursive Constantine Schmalz Rafinesque, whose letters to 

 Torrey extend from 18 19 to 1840, friendly and peaceful relations 

 were evidently maintained. An extract from one of Rafinesque s 

 letters written at Philadelphia in 1838 is of interest in this connec- 

 tion : 



"My good friend. Your letter of 25thjan'y was delivered 

 by Dr. Gray quite lately with the 3 small pamphlets. I now send 

 you some pamphlets of mine also, in which you will see that I 



■ 



have been engaged in various labors for a year past and it is a 

 wonder that I could attend to Botany all the while as an amuse- 

 ment and relaxation, if you knew all what I had to attend to last 

 year, in order to bring forth at last my great labors and prepare 

 the means for future activity in the midst of pecuniary difficulties 

 and disappointments. But with zeal and patience I overcame 

 at last and I have long ago concluded 600 pages of my supple- 

 mental Flora and Flora Telluriana or 6 parts. If I had not under- 

 taken these two works together, the first would have been com- 

 pleted ere now, but will be ere 1840. As it is quite a mantissa 

 and you do not admit my improvements, we shall not clash in the 

 least. But between 10 and 20 years hence you will admit of all 

 my discoveries and new genera as you now begin to do for those o 

 1808 to 1825. * * * I have published so many works that I dont 

 know which you lack yet. I send most of them and a list to the 

 Lyceum for the series of their Annals brought me by Dr. Gray. 



all 



We 



himself a lumper, like you, belonging to the putting off school of 



