562 Porter : Reminiscences of John Torrey 



gave an elegant evening entertainment to the members of the 

 Botanical Section. Her fine mansion was beautifully decorated 

 with ferns, palms and a profusion of shrubs and odorous plants in 

 flower. The assemblage of guests was large, and amongst them 

 I remember Drs. Torrey, Gray, Darlington, and Pitcher, who were 

 exceedingly polite and courteous to the lady of the house and her 

 daughter. 



A few years later, Mr. Durand, of Philadelphia, gave a dinner 

 to Drs. Torrey and Gray, then in the city, to which a number of 

 gentlemen were invited, amongst whom it was my good fortune to 

 be included. An amusing incident happened on that occasion. 

 The question was asked why Professor Tuckerman, of Amherst, 

 had been so long silent, and the reply was made that he had been 

 engaged in courting, and had just married a wife. " How was 

 that brought about?" inquired one of the company, to whom 

 another responded, " I suppose he must have taken a great lichen 

 to her." 



In the year 1867, under the direction of the late Dr. George 

 Thurber, a banquet was held at the Astor House, of this city, in 

 honor of Dr. John Torrey. The guests were numerous and many 

 of them came from a distance, for the celebration was not a local 

 one. In the buttonhole of each could be seen a sprig of Torrey a. 

 Enthusiasm and good-fellowship prevailed, and the addresses de- 

 livered showed that the homage paid to the distinguished botanist 

 was sincere and hearty. The only portion of what was then 

 spoken which has not yet faded from my memory is the conclu- 

 sion of my own address. I said that Dr. Torrey lived fully up to 

 the famous motto of Linnaeus, Famani ex tender t f cutis. Void o 

 jealousy, gentle, just to all, loving science for its own sake and 

 averse to controversies and quarrels, he was content to let his ex- 

 cellent work speak for itself. 



In the summer of 1870, Dr. Torrey attended the commence- 

 ment of Lafayette College at Easton, and by his request, and on 

 his recommendation the faculty conferred the honorary degree of 

 Ph.D. on Mr. Bolander, of California. When he left, he invited 

 me and my two daughters to visit him in New York. The invita- 

 tion was accepted and we reached his dwelling in the Columbia 

 College buildings some time in the month of August. The Doctor 



