184 HISTORICAL SKETCH OF THE 



Natural History, he was elected one of its Curators, and subsequently became one of its 

 second Vice-Presidents. He was born in Newport, R. I., on the 15th of April, 1786. The 

 celebrated Dr. William Ellery Channing was his eldest brother, and Edward T. Channing, 

 who long and ably filled the chair of Rhetoric in Harvard College, was a younger 

 brother. Walter entered Harvard College in 1804, but did not graduate from there, a 

 great rebellion among the students having led to his leaving the institution and devoting 

 himself to the study of medicine in Boston. He afterwards pursued this study with great 

 zeal in the schools of Philadelphia, Edinburgh, and London. In 1812 he established him- 

 self in the practice of his profession in Boston, and in the same year was appointed Lec- 

 turer in Obstetrics at the Medical College. Three years later he became Professor there 

 of that branch of medical practice, the duties of which position he performed for nearly 

 forty years. 



In the practice of his profession Dr. Channing exhibited marked ability, especially in 

 the department to which he gave particular attention. In the reform movements of his 

 day he took great interest, and his pen and voice were very active in advocating them. 

 In social life he was genial, and had the rare gift of being able at all times to interest lis- 

 teners by the brilliancy of his conversation, enlivened as it ever was by ready wit. 



A characteristic anecdote is, that*when asked by a stranger who wished to see his more 

 eminent brother, if he was the Dr. Channing who preached, he replied, " No ! it is my 

 brother who preaches ; I practice." 



Dr. Channing died in Brookline, Mass., on the 27th of July, 1876, at the age of 90 

 years. 



In October the attention of the Council being called to the fact that at the meetings of 

 the section of Microscopy the attendance had become very small, a vote was passed to 

 discontinue the notification of them. 



EDWARD PICKEEING. 



At the meeting, December 6th, President Bouve addressing the members, remarked ; 

 " The Society is called to deplore the loss of a valuable member and officer in the death of 

 our late Treasurer, Edward Pickering. Previously to our last meeting, Mr. Pickering had 

 been ill for a day or two from a trouble in his throat affecting the vocal organs, and 

 making it painful for him to converse freely, but he kept about his usual occupations until 

 a few hours before we met, when feeling unable to be with us, he sent to me his regular 

 financial statement for presentation to the Council in the evening. The trouble with him 

 seemed similar to that he had before experienced, and there appeared no reason to 

 anticipate its sad result. 



" All, I am sure, were surprised and shocked to learn on the following Tuesday that he 

 had passed away early that morning. Mr. Pickering, though not strictly speaking, a scien- 

 tific man, was much interested in whatever conduced to the education of the community, 

 and he consequently felt great interest in the well being of the Society. He became a 

 member in 1860, since which, he has always been a regular attendant on our meetings, 

 and I think, from his highly appreciative mind, enjoyed much the proceedipgs. In 1865, 

 he was elected Treasurer of the Society and he became also ex-officio one of the Trustees, 



