358 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OP 



In 1852 lie retired from business in order to devote the remain- 

 der of liis life to botanical science. His first great work was to 

 add to the berbarium of our xicademy desiderata which his own 

 could supply. In this way we came into possession of a large 

 number of Nuttall's plants, besides numerous others. Indeed, the 

 North American Herbarium of the Academy, as it now stands, is 

 mainly' the work of Mr. Durand. "While in Europe in 1800 he found 

 the herbarium of the Garden of Plants at Paris deficient in North 

 American species, and on his return devoted much of his time to 

 prepai'ing his collection for that institution. lie took the major 

 part there in 1868, and left by his will the balance to it, making 

 in all about 15,000 species, in which institution they will be pre- 

 served separately as the Herbier Durand. He presented his bo- 

 tanical lil)rary to the Academy of Natural Sciences, and his lil)rai'y 

 of chemical and pharmaceutical works, together with a herbarium 

 of medical plants, to the College of Pharmacy. 



The first great contribution to botanical literature after his re- 

 tirement from business in 1852 was the " Plants^ PraUenianse Cali- 

 fornicfie,^'' published in the Journal of the Academy- in 1855-58, 

 and about the same time in the same volume " Planlse. Knneanee 

 Gncnlandicse,^^ being the plants of Kane's two voyages to the arctic 

 regions; and also during the same i)eriod, in connection with Dr. 

 Hilgard,in the same journal, the " Plantce Heermnnnianae,^' being 

 the collections of Dr. Ileermaun, the naturalist attached to Lieut. 

 "Williamson's survey of the Pacific Railroad. In 18G0 the botany 

 of the Salt Lake of Utah, in Am. Philos. Transactions. In 18()1 

 he gave in the Proceedings of the Academy an account of the Arctic 

 })lants of Hayes's expedition; and in 18G2 an article in the Bulletin 

 of the Paris Acclimatization Society on the vines and wines of the 

 L^nited States, which attracted much attention in Europe. He is 

 also the author of a memoir of Andre Michaux, and also of his 

 friend Nuttall, which, from his intimac}' with this great botanist, 

 he was enabled to make the best one written. 



For two years past age seemed to tell on him rapidly, and his 

 regular attendance on his api)oinled and much loved duties in the 

 Academy was broken up. During the past year his brain gradually 

 softened, until, on the 14th of August, 1873, he peacefully i)assed 

 away, in the 10th year of his age, leaving an only son by a second 

 marriage, who has already distinguished himself in one branch of 

 his father's favorite studies; and a memory which we, his asso- 

 ciates in this Academy, will long, gratefully, and fondly cherish. 



From such a life how nnich the woild may learn! Here is a 

 young man 8urroun<led by difficulties, but wdio was never appalled 

 or tuined aside from the zealous pursuit of knowledge. It did 

 not inteifere with his business success, as it is a popular fallacy 

 such studies tend to do. but it aided him to the highest eminence 

 in his profession. It brought him into contact with many kindred 

 8}irits in this and similar institutions, which in turn fanned his 



