262 PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMEEICAN ACADEMY 



cion of superficiality. In both breadth and depth of Greek scholarship 

 he was confessedly the first man in the country ; but we have also the 

 most positive testimony from the highest sources to his proficiency in 

 Mathematics, in Sanskrit, Gothic, Welsh and the other Celtic languages, 

 Hebrew, Arabic, Armenian, and in the principal languages of modern 

 Europe. With this wide range of learning at his command, he never 

 was known to make a positive assertion on any subject which he had 

 not thoroughly mastered ; and, when he did not feel full confidence in 

 his command of a subject, he would often in his modesty conceal knowl- 

 edge on the strength of which many men would have been dogmatic. 

 This gave him, unconsciously to liimself, an air of authority whenever 

 he expressed a decided opinion ; and his criticisms, even when expressed 

 in the gentlest language, fell with a severity — often in spite of him- 

 self — which nothing but solidity of learning could give. Although it 

 was repugnant to the gentleness of his nature to give pain or offence, 

 he yet had reserves of stinging sarcasm for cases (unfortunately too 

 frequent) in which pernicious error was to be refuted or pretentious 

 ignorance rebuked. The rising scholarship of a new country often runs 

 wild, and needs to be constantly curbed and directed, as well as stimu- 

 lated, by men of the profound learning, the high character, and the plain 

 common sense which distinguished Professor Hadley. This influence, 

 which has been so wisely exerted upon the present generation of Ameri- 

 can scholars, will be more and more appreciated now that it is with- 

 drawn. 



John Torret, M.D., LL.D., died at New York, on the 10th of 

 March, 1873, in the seventy-seventh year of his age. He has long been 

 the chief of American botanists, and was at his death the oldest, with 

 the exception of the venerable ex-president of the American Academy 

 (Dr. Bigelow), who entered the botanical field several years earlier, but 

 left it to gather the highest honors and more lucrative rewards of 

 the medical profession, about the time when Dr. Torrey determined 

 to devote his life to scientific pursuits. 



The latter was of an old New England stock, being, it is thouglit, a 

 descendant of William Torrey, who emigrated from Combe St. Nicho- 

 las, near Chard, in Somersetshire, and settled at Weymouth, Mass., 

 about the year 1640.* 



* In some notes furnished by a member of the family, the descent is endeav- 

 ored to be traced through the ehlest of the five sons who survived their parent, 

 namely, Samuel, who came with him from England, became a minister of the 

 gospel, and had the unprecedented honor of preaching three election sermons 



