Botanical Gazette. 



Vol. VIII. 



SEPTEMBER, 1883. 



No. 9. 



A Letter from Dr. Torrey to Amos Eaton. 



In lieu of a biographical sketch this month the following ex- 

 tracts from a letter of Dr. John Torrey to Amos Eaton are given : 



" Dear Friend : — I send you a copy of the Constitution, 

 etc., of our Society which we formed last winter. We are now in 

 possession of our room in the New York Institution — we have 

 already a considerable collection of minerals, plants, insects, etc. 

 You may see an account of the Society in Bigelow Magazine. 

 We meet once a week, have plenty of business, and I assure you 

 we are in a. great way. The resident members are mostly young 

 men, and very zealous. Rafinesque, Knevely and myself were 

 lately sent on an expedition to explore the Highlands, where we 

 found some new species of plants. Rafinesque found two new fish. 

 I have returned and left them there ; they are going to explore 

 the Shawangunk and Catskill mountains before they return. Send 

 me every new thing you hear of relating to natural history, all 

 your remarkable observations relating to the physiology of 

 .plants, etc. The Lyceum have resolved to publish a catalogue 

 of the plants growing within thirty miles of New York. Rafin- 

 esque, Knevely and myself are a committee to carry it into effect. 

 It was our intention at first to have given a flora with full de- 

 scriptions, but found it a much greater labor than we expected, 

 so have put it off till next spring — in the meantime the catalogue 

 will appear. 



"Send all your doubtful plants. I expect we can ascertain 

 them among us, as we have several good botanists among us. 

 Send particularly your grapes and ferns. Your Sanguisorba 

 media is Plantago Virginica ! I shall send you duplicates of all 

 my new species that I have, with descriptions. 



" Who understands the grapes and Cryptogamia best that 

 you are acquainted with? Send me word, I should like to corres- 

 pond and exchange with him. 



