72 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF [1888. 



iiore their faults, nor jirevent him from expressing his A'ieAvs of 

 them. Tender, loving and considerate as he always was, he 

 could be caustic and severe when he believed the good of science 

 demanded it. Once a very zealous collector to whom science was 

 under many obligations, described and published a large number of 

 plants, from imperfect material, with undue haste and without com- 

 petent knoAvledge. Dr. Gray had to show that really there were 

 very few new species among them, and in so doing his criticism was 

 unusually severe. Mr. Meehan in writing to Dr. Gray ventured to 

 remonstrate with him upon the severity which he had used. The 

 reply was, " In my heart, I would have been more tender than you, 

 but I cannot afford to be. I am, from my position before the world, 

 a critic, and I cannot shrink from the duty Avhich such a position 

 imposes upon me. If you were in the position that I am, witli a 

 short life and a long task before you, and just as you chought the 

 way was clear for progress, some one should dump cart loads of rub- 

 bish in your path, and you had to take off your coat, roll uj) your 

 sleeves and spend weeks in digging that rubbish away befoi'e you 

 could proceed, I should not suppose you would be a model of amia- 

 bility." 



In giving these recollections Prof. Meehan hoped that he should 

 be pardoned for so much allusion to his own history, but it was be- 

 cause that history bore such full and rich testimony to the critical 

 acumen, the kind judgment, the friendly aid and the warm and lov- 

 ing heart of the man as well as the scientist, whom we this evening 

 commemorate. 



Mr. Isaac C. Martindale then spoke of Professor Gray's en- 

 couragement to young students, and of his willingness always to aid 

 them in their studies ; this he was able to testify from his own exper- 

 ience, having been again and again assisted while engaged with 

 perplexing botanical problems: he also spoke of the genial, kind 

 and social dispi-sition ever displayed, and which made the name of 

 Professor Gray a household word in so many homes. He gave an 

 interesting account of a botanical excursion to the mountains of 

 North Carolina made in 1884 in company with this greatest of 

 American botanists, referring to the readiness with which he I'ecalled 

 the names of all the ])lants met with during the journey, showing 

 not only his perfect familiarity with the names of the species but 

 also his most remarkable memory. 



