172 SOME AMERICAN MEDICAL BOTANISTS 



$1,500 annually. As the chief subject was to be 

 botany and the care of the Botanical Garden, 

 some seven acres, he accepted the offer and tells 

 Torrey that he has " the privilege of spending 

 $100 in botanical illustrations, to be the property 

 of the college," and asks his advice, adding: 

 " Though greatly behind-hand I must get Com- 

 positae all done this month. I am deep among 

 Thistles, which are thorny, though I see they are 

 satisfactionable." 



He was very nervous about his first lecture. 

 He " made a few remarks without stammering 

 a bit." Once, at the end of the hour, he offered 

 another hour with the option of leaving, but they 

 all remained. Another time he caught " one of 

 the fellows throwing his cap to a companion or 

 playing some trick. You know I can scold; so 

 I gave him about half a dozen words which made 

 him open his eyes wide, and I do not think that 

 he, nor any of that division, will venture upon 

 anything of the kind very soon." 



Gray also takes a Sunday School class " of 

 eight or nine very intelligent misses from sixteen 

 to twelve," a variation after a week with rough 

 students. He did a good deal in the way of plan- 

 ning lectures when away in Virginia and Caro- 

 lina in the fall of 1843. Dr. George Engelmann 

 hears from him that he is also " preparing for a 

 terrible course of public lectures, so that I cannot 



