84 REPORT OF DKLEGATE TO 



time ; some of the early attempts at the manufacture of orna- 

 mental pottery being very crude ; stiff and inartistic represen- 

 tations of General Washington being the favorite device for 

 ornamentation. 



A ver}' interesting feature of the afternoon program was 

 an address by Mr. H. Clay Borden on the eruptions of Vesu- 

 vius and Mount Pelee, in which he compared the destruction 

 of Pompeii with that of St. Pierre, and discoursed in general 

 upon the action of volcanoes and earthquakes. The views on 

 exhibition in the museum gave point and interest to his 

 remarks. 



The time was all too short for viewing the things of inter- 

 est in the various collections, and by 4.30 P. M. all the party 

 had been transferred by coaches to Horticviltural Hall, wdiere, 

 under competent guides, an exceedingly interesting collection 

 of tropical and native plants was viewed, and their habits and 

 peculiarities of growth pointed ovit and commented upon. 



Mr. Oglesby Paul, who is Curator of the Hall and scien- 

 tific landscape gardener of -the Park, took particular pains to 

 call the attention of the visitors to matters of interest that 

 would otherwise have been overlooked. He is an enthu- 

 siastic botanist, and was able to give a vast amormt of valu- 

 able information concerning the exhibit. 



At six o'clock the party was transferred to Belmont Man- 

 sion, where an excellent supper was served to the two hundred 

 and twelve members and guests of the Union. The tables 

 were then cleared away and the hall was made ready for the 

 evening's entertainment. 



The President in a brief address gave an account of the 

 labors and researches of Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, who 

 in the early part of the last century was a unique and inter- 

 esting character in scientific circles in the city of Philadelphia, 

 where he died in poverty, and his grave is still unmarked. 

 By a unanimous vote of the Union it was decided that his 

 grave should be marked by a suitable monument, and the 

 President was authorized to appoint a committee to raise funds 



