1864.] 333 [James. 



formed that winter, called the x\nieriean Liiintean Society, of which 

 Prof. Barton was president, and it did me the unexpected, not to say 

 unmerited honor, of enrolling me amonir the members. 



" At the conclusion of the course of lectures, T returned to the office 

 of my preceptor in Wilmington, where I passed the summer in his 

 service, but in the following November, went again to Philadelphia, 

 to attend my second course. I became a member of the Philadel- 

 phia Medical Society, and applied myself diligently to prepare for 

 the degree of Doctor of Medicine, being the first candidate from 

 Chester County, so far as I know, who had then aspired to that 

 honor. 



" I passed a satisfactory examination for my degree, in March, 1804, 

 and as the commencement that year did not take place until the be- 

 ginniisg of June, I remained in the city to prepare and print my in- 

 augural thesis, and especially to attend a course of lectures on Bo- 

 tany, by Prof. Barton. 



" The Professor occasionally took his small class to the Bartram 

 Botanic Garden, to illustrate practically some of his teachings, and 

 these were my earliest visits to that interesting spot. William Bar- 

 tram and John Bartram, Jr., were then living there, and distinctly 

 do I recollect the venerable men, though I little dreamt I should one 

 day have so much to do with the history of the family. 



" The candidates for the medical degree of Doctor were publicly 

 examined before the Trustees and Faculty of the University, on the 

 merits of their several Theses. 



"The subject of mine was, the ' Mutual Influence of Habit and 

 Disease.' It fell within the province of Prof. Hush to examine it. 

 As I had the good luck to advocate the favorite doctrines of the Pro- 

 fessor in that essay, I got off very handsomely. Instead of putting 

 me on the defensive, as several of my companions had been, the 

 Doctor called me up, and addressing the Trustees and Faculty said, 

 '■ This dissertation, gentlemen, is a succes.sful application of meta- 

 physics to the practice of physic. I have read it twice through with 

 attention, and have no objection to make to it.' I then had nothing 

 to do but make my bow and sit down. A very talented gentlemau 

 from Virginia, vastly my superior, who sat immediately before me, 

 and had just been severely questioned on some of the doctrines of 

 his thesis, turned round and laughingly asked, ' Darlington, is that 

 what you call defending your thesis V On the following day I re- 

 ceived my diploma, and returned to my father's dwelling to reside, 

 after an absence of four years. Here I loitered away my time in a 



