204 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA 
‘‘Shut within the walls of our Legation, we are as much alone as if we 
were in one of the old glacial wombs of the Sierra Nevada—to think of which 
makes me sigh with longing, for was I not born anew therefrom, a recuper- 
ated child of Nature? Your letter with bay-leaves was right welcome, and 
gave me a good sniff of Berkeley. It was pleasant to receive the University 
bay, although I am not an Alumnus, and can boast no Alma-Mater except the 
rough school of self-education.”’ 
The closing line above his autograph is ‘‘ O, California, that’s 
the land for me!” Enclosed with his letter were a few plants 
collected by him upon the broad summit of the mouldering 
walls which surround the ancient city where he died. Our friend 
has gone! He has found the tranquillity of the grave in a coun- 
try remote from his native land—from the California he loved 
so much; far from those he loved and the many who knew and 
loved him, and who would have deemed it a privilege to have 
been near him at the final moment, and to have mingled their 
last farewells with his. The particulars of the closing scene 
have not yet been received. We may be sure, however, that he 
looked into the future without fear, and faded serenely, as the 
twilight sinks into night. 
Those who knew him best, and who enjoyed the precious free- 
dom of intimacy, will tell you that his life was conspicuous for 
its purity—his character for its many virtues—his intellect for 
its refined and delicate culture—his heart for its tender and 
generous sympathy. The possession of these qualities endear 
a man to his fellow-men; they constitute a charming whole 
whose priceless web is woven from the choicest graces of our 
poor humanity; they form an enchanted mantle whose shining 
folds hide the poverty of human limitations. 
So lived and walked our friend among us, crowned with the 
affection and respect of all who knew him. I do not say that he 
was perfect, and yet if fault he had I know it not, nor never 
heard it named. 
Here let us rest—grateful that so true a life has been a part 
of ours. We place our tribute on his grave, and say good friend 
—farewell! 
Resolved, That the California Academy of Sciences has learned with pro- 
found regret of the death of the Honorable Benjamin Parke Avery, a fellow- 
member and late United States Minister at the Court of Peking; that we 
