1893.] NEW YORK ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 155 



NotwitlistiiBtliug Dr. Newberry's ilattcriiig- success as a pliysi- 

 cian his iucliuation toward scieutilic work was uiicoLqueraLle, 

 and it is evident from the following extract that his heart was 

 not in his medical practice : "A conversation with him in his 

 Cleveland office, abont two years after he opened it indicates his 

 modesty and his high standard of attainment. He was asked, 

 by me whether he intended to make the practice of medicine 

 the work of his life. His answer was, 'no, I am prosecuting 

 my studies with the hope that some day I may be able to till a 

 place like Professor St. John's.' "* 



In 1855 he left his practice and accepted the position of 

 geologist and botanist on the government expedition to northern 

 California and Oregon, under Lieut. Williamson. The party 

 left New York May 5, 1855, reached San Francisco May 30, and 

 began field work, having reference to a route for the Pacific 

 Railroad, near Benicia July 10th. Passing northward through 

 the Sacramento Valley, and by the Klamath lakes, they reached 

 the Columbia River October 9th, but detached parties were in 

 the field until the middle of November. The jiarty returned 

 to Washington, D. C, late in January, 1850. Dr. Newberry 

 made large collections in geology, botany and zoology and 

 spent the following year in Washington preparing his report, 

 which is contained in the sixth volume of the Pacific Railroad 

 Reports. 



In 185G~7 he was Professor of Chemistry and Natural History 

 in the Columbian College, Washington, D. C.f • 



Dr. Newberry had scarcely completed his report of the Wil- 

 liamson expedition before he became the physician and natur- 

 alist of the Colorado Exploring Expedition under Lieut. Jos. C. 

 Ives. In charge of one detachment he left San Francisco 

 October 28, 1857, by coast steamer for San Diego and crossed 

 the desert to Fort Yuma, where he awaited the main body of 

 the party, which sailed from San Francisco four days later, and 

 after much delay by adverse winds in the Gulf of California 

 reached the mouth of the Colorado November 20, and there 

 putting together a small iron steamboat, carried in sections 

 from Philadelphia, arrived at Fort Yuma January 9, 1858. 

 During this delay Dr. Newberry had employed his time in 

 exploring the surrounding region and in making valuable scien- 

 tific collections. The expedition steamed up the Colorado river 

 as far as the mouth of the Black Canon, which was reached 



* Extract from a letter to the writer by Hon. M. C. Read, of Hudson, Ohio. 



t In .sonio publications it is incorrectly stated that he held this position until 

 1866- He hold it only one year as here stated. 



