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Reminiscences of John Torrey 



By Dr. James Hyatt* 



I send a few rather trivial jottings relating to early times in the 

 Torrey Club. To recall my earliest residence in New York city 

 turns my mind back over sixty years ; and now early in my eighty- 

 fourth year, I am reminded of the growing infirmities of life. 



It was at Albany, in 1856, that I became a member of the 

 American Association for the Advancement of Science, listening 



to Agassiz, James Hall, and others, and to Dawson, LeConte, and 

 others, at Montreal in 1857. ^ n m Y sixteenth year I became in- 

 terested in plant-studies. Several years previous to 1856 I had 

 seen Dr. Torrey for the first time at his chemical lecture in the 

 College of Physicians and Surgeons in upper Crosby St., and was 

 delighted with his illustrations of osmosis. Not long after I fell 

 into the way of seeing Dr. Torrey rather frequently in the Her- 

 barium of Columbia, at 49th St., bringing him there an Usnca y a 

 Diplopappus, a Lusula, and other plants, to name. At one of my 

 informal calls Mr. Austin was starting out equipped, in February, 

 to collect mosses in North Jersey and Rockland for Sullivant. 

 Before long I began at stated times to meet with Mr. Leggett, the 

 Hoggs, and others, at the Herbarium. Afterward the project was 

 started for incorporation at Albany, a constitution was drawn up, 

 the name Torrey Club selected and the whole submitted to Dr. 

 Torrey. Modestly he struck out Torrey from the title, but the 

 name was afterward reinserted. There were regular club meetings, 

 interesting discussions, the scrutiny of specimens, etc., and as a 

 finish Dr. Torrey furnished, each time, a nice lunch of biscuits and 

 cakes, and a cup of the most exquisite coffee ever tasted. Occa- 

 sionally a visiting botanist would be present ; sometimes Dr. Gray, 

 or Mr. Redfield from Philadelphia ; and once Professor Boeck of 

 Christiania, who brought us pressed specimens from the Norwegian 

 mountains. Through the Hogg brothers we secured Japanese 



*Dr. James Hyatt, of Honeymeadbrook, Bangall, Dutchess Co., N. Y., who, as 

 one of the earliest members of the Torrey CI ub, was asked to furnish his recollections 

 of Dr. Torrey and the Club. 



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