490 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



Men of science, in our own land, now began to be aware of the 

 existence, and meritorious labours of the unpretending farmer and 

 gardener of West Bradford ; and we learn, from his Diploma (still 

 carefully treasured by his relatives), that, on the 20th of January. 

 1786, " The American Philosophical Society, held at Phila- 

 delphia, for promoting useful knowledge, desirous of advancing the 

 interest of the Society, by associating to themselves men of distin- 

 guished eminence, and of conferring marks of their esteem upon 

 persons of literary merit," had " elected Mr. Humphry Marshall, 

 of Chester County, a member of the said Philosophical Society," 

 thereby " Granting unto him all the rights of fellowship, with all 

 the liberties and privileges thereunto belonging."* 



On the 27th of July, 1786, Humphry lost his first wife, who 

 died at the age of nearly sixty-six years : and on the 10th of 

 January, 1788, he again married. His second wife Avas Margaret, 

 daughter of Thomas Minshall, of Middletown (then of Chester, 

 now) Delaware County. He had no offspring by either marriage. 



In Schreber's edition of the Genera Plantarum, published in 

 1791, a genus of plants, belonging to the natural family of Com- 

 posite, or compound syngenesious flowers, was dedicated to Hum- 

 phry Marshall and his nephew ; for which, it would seem, they 

 were partly indebted to the kind interposition and friendly at- 

 tention of Dr. Muhlenberg, the correspondent of Schreber. 

 Four species of the genus Marshallia are enumerated in Torrey 

 and Gray's Flora, all natives of our Southern States. 



In the latter years of his life, Humphry's vision was greatly 

 impaired by cataract, for which the operation of couching was 

 performed by Dr. Wistar, in 1793, with but partial success. It 

 was proposed to be repeated in the year 1800, and preparation 

 made with that view, as may be gathered from some of Dr. WlS- 

 tar's letters ; but it is the opinion of his relatives, of the present 

 day, that a second operation was not performed. His sight, how- 

 ever, was never so entirely lost, but that he could discern the 

 walks in his garden, examine his trees, and recognise the localities 



man, he cannot but feel proud, that his venerable fellow-citizen so early per- 

 ceived, and so forcibly urged, the importance of giving a scientific character to 

 the profession of Agriculture. 



* The certificate of membership was signed by B. Franklin, President; John 

 Ewing, William White, and Samuel Vaughan, Vice-Presidents ; and attested by 

 James Hutchinson, R. Patterson, Samuel Magaw, and John Foulke, Secre- 

 taries. 



