142 THE BOTANISTS OF PHILADELPHIA. 



Dr. Darlington's later labors in the cause of natural 

 science consisted in a new edition of the " Flora Cestrica," 

 revised and reconstructed on the natural method, which 

 system is now adopted by scientists at the present day. 

 Besides this, in connection with some of the liberal-minded 

 men of his neighborhood, he was engaged in his latter 

 years in the composition of a work descriptive of the 

 Natural History of Chester County in all its branches. 

 He assumed a full share of the necessary labor, his own 

 portion of it having been completed and ready for the press. 



Having always been a devoted patriot, Dr. Darlington 

 dedicated a son, Lieutenant B. S. B. Darlington, to his 

 country's cause, as an officer of the Navy, who, after seven- 

 teen years of active service, died at Portsmouth, N. H., in 

 1845, of a disease contracted during the first cruise of our 

 squadron on the coast of Africa. The afflicting loss of his 

 son. Lieutenant Darlington, was soon followed by the death 

 of Mrs. Darlington. Soon after her death he became a 

 member of the Protestant Episcopal Church. 



In the spring of 1862 he was attacked by a slight 

 stroke of paralysis, from which he partially recovered, but 

 with some prostration of his physical vigor. This was 

 followed in the early part of 1863 by another attack of the 

 same disease, from the effects of which he gradually sank, 

 until on Thursday, the 23rd of April, 1863, aged nearly 81 

 years, he passed away with his mental vigor unimpaired. 



In order that the people of his county might have 

 the benefit of his materials. Dr. Darlington bequeathed his 

 most valuable herbarium of plants, and all his botanical 

 and most of his other scientific works, to the Chester County 



