﻿64 
  PROCEEDINGS 
  OP 
  THE 
  CALIFORNIA 
  

  

  Bemarks 
  on 
  the 
  Death 
  of 
  Prof. 
  John 
  Torrey. 
  

  

  BY 
  W. 
  H. 
  DALL. 
  

  

  Prof. 
  John 
  Torrey, 
  well 
  known 
  throughout 
  the 
  world 
  for 
  his 
  attainments 
  in 
  

   botany 
  and 
  chemistry, 
  the 
  most 
  eminent 
  man 
  of 
  science 
  in 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  one 
  

   of 
  the 
  most 
  eminent 
  in 
  America, 
  died 
  in 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  New 
  York 
  on 
  the 
  tenth 
  of 
  

   March, 
  at 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  seventy-seven. 
  

  

  Born 
  in 
  New 
  York 
  in 
  the 
  year 
  1796, 
  and 
  connected, 
  from 
  his 
  boyhood 
  to 
  the 
  

   present 
  time, 
  with 
  all 
  persons 
  or 
  institutions 
  in 
  his 
  native 
  place, 
  whose 
  aims 
  in- 
  

   cluded 
  the 
  advancement 
  of 
  science 
  and 
  learning; 
  his 
  earliest 
  work 
  was 
  the 
  pre- 
  

   paration 
  of 
  a 
  flora 
  of 
  Manhattan 
  Island, 
  especially 
  the 
  portion 
  immediately 
  

   about 
  the 
  suburbs 
  of 
  old 
  New 
  York, 
  a 
  region 
  which 
  he 
  lived 
  to 
  see 
  covered 
  with 
  

   stately 
  structures 
  of 
  brick 
  and 
  stone. 
  

  

  Taking 
  his 
  medical 
  degree 
  in 
  1818, 
  he 
  occupied 
  his 
  leisure 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  

   of 
  botanical 
  matter 
  in 
  relation 
  to 
  the 
  Northern 
  States 
  of 
  the 
  Union, 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  

   the 
  Mississippi 
  River. 
  His 
  publications 
  on 
  this 
  subject, 
  during 
  the 
  si.x 
  years 
  

   succeeding, 
  insured 
  him 
  a 
  high 
  rank 
  among 
  the 
  more 
  eminent 
  students 
  of 
  

   botany. 
  

  

  Shortly 
  after 
  his 
  marriage 
  in 
  1824, 
  he 
  was 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  professorship 
  of 
  

   chemistry 
  at 
  West 
  Point 
  ; 
  in 
  1827 
  he 
  accepted 
  the 
  chair 
  of 
  chemistry 
  and 
  bot- 
  

   any 
  in 
  the 
  College 
  of 
  Physicians 
  and 
  Surgeons 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  a 
  few 
  years 
  

   later 
  a 
  similar 
  position 
  at 
  Princeton 
  College. 
  About 
  the 
  year 
  1853, 
  at 
  the 
  ur- 
  

   gent 
  solicitation 
  of 
  the 
  Secretary 
  of 
  the 
  Treasury, 
  he 
  was 
  prevailed 
  upon 
  to 
  take 
  

   charge 
  of 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  Assay 
  Office, 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  labored 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   his 
  death. 
  During 
  this 
  period 
  he 
  was 
  also 
  a 
  trustee 
  of 
  Columbia 
  College, 
  to 
  

   which 
  the 
  medical 
  school 
  had 
  been 
  annexed, 
  and 
  to 
  him 
  the 
  college 
  owes, 
  beside 
  

   many 
  years 
  of 
  earnest 
  study 
  and 
  work, 
  the 
  priceless 
  gift 
  of 
  his 
  superb 
  botanical 
  

   collection 
  and 
  library. 
  

  

  Up 
  to 
  the 
  day 
  before 
  his 
  death 
  he 
  was 
  at 
  his 
  post, 
  signing 
  the 
  daily 
  reports 
  

   of 
  the 
  Assay 
  Office, 
  and 
  then 
  calmly 
  and 
  peacefully 
  passed 
  away 
  to 
  his 
  rest, 
  so 
  

   well 
  earned. 
  While 
  devoting 
  his 
  days 
  to 
  chemistry, 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  attained 
  a 
  high 
  

   rank, 
  thus 
  securing 
  that 
  maintenance 
  for 
  which 
  most 
  scientific 
  students 
  are 
  

   obliged 
  to 
  struggle 
  so 
  painfully, 
  Botany 
  was 
  the 
  mistress 
  of 
  his 
  heart, 
  to 
  which 
  

   his 
  leisure 
  and 
  his 
  evenings 
  were 
  devoted, 
  so 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  even 
  a 
  few 
  

   weeks 
  before 
  his 
  death, 
  his 
  light 
  could 
  be 
  seen 
  till 
  nearly 
  midnight 
  in 
  the 
  herb- 
  

   arium 
  of 
  Columbia 
  College. 
  

  

  His 
  writings 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  transactions 
  of 
  nearly 
  every 
  scientific 
  as- 
  

   sociation 
  of 
  America, 
  and 
  among 
  tliem 
  we 
  may 
  especially 
  enumerate 
  the 
  Report 
  

   on 
  the 
  plants 
  collected 
  by 
  Dr. 
  James, 
  on 
  Long's 
  Expedition, 
  on 
  the 
  plants 
  col- 
  

   lected 
  by 
  Wright 
  in 
  Texas, 
  and 
  by 
  Fremont 
  in 
  California, 
  the 
  Flora 
  of 
  the 
  

   State 
  of 
  New 
  York, 
  and 
  his 
  unfinished 
  Flora 
  of 
  North 
  America 
  ; 
  while 
  his 
  as- 
  

   sistance 
  had 
  been 
  secured 
  in 
  the 
  preparation 
  of 
  the 
  Manual 
  of 
  California 
  Botany, 
  

   now 
  in 
  press 
  by 
  the 
  Geological 
  Survey 
  of 
  this 
  State. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Torrey 
  twice 
  visited 
  California, 
  once 
  in 
  1865 
  and 
  more 
  lately 
  in 
  1872, 
  

  

  