444 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



from half-past five to h^lf-past eight o'clock, p. m. In the fall at 

 any time before four o'clock in the afternoon. 

 The club then adjourned. 



H. MEIGS, Secretary. 



April 7, 1857. 



Present — Messrs. Wray of England, Pardee, Dr. Smith of the 

 Times, Stacey, Judge Scoville, Judge Livingston, Mons. D'Ouville 

 of Philadelphia, Aaron Roberts (colored man) of same. Prof. 

 Mapes, Hon. Joseph Blunt, Dr. Waterbury, James Davey of Pom- 

 fret, Conn., 90 years old, James DePeyster, Lawtonof Morrisania, 

 Vail, Olcott, Solon Robinson, Mr. Aycrigg, Daniel C. Robinson, 

 Mr. Chambers, Mr. Field of Brooklyn, Atwood, Stacey, Horace 

 Greeley of the Tribune and others — fifty-eight in all. 



Hon. Robert Swift Livingston in the chair. Henry Meigs, 

 Secretary. 



Mr. Greeley introduced Mr. Leonard Wray, of Natal, South 

 Africa, who has had more experience in the culture of the 

 various species of Imphee, (including the Chinese sugar-cane,) 

 than perhaps any other European, and has succeeded in obtaining 

 as fine crystalized sugars directly from the juice as those result- 

 ing from the Louisiana sugar-cane. He is referred to as the 

 highest authority by M. Vilmorin, of France, Count de Beaure- 

 gard, and the illustrious gentlemen of the Imperial Acclimation 

 Society, and has visited this country, on invitation of a governor 

 of one of our Southern States, for the purpose of cultivating the 

 varieties of the new sugar plant which he considers most valua- 

 ble, and to introduce the methods, discovered by himself, for 

 obtaining the valuable product of crystalized sugar. His arrival 

 at this moment of our first experience with the sorgho can not 

 but be considered most opportune, and the very valuable informa- 

 tion which he possesses will be of first consequence in its pros- 

 pective bearing upon our national revenue. 



Mr. Wray commenced by stating that he had discovered, grow- 

 ing wild upon the south-west coast of Caifraria, the curious plant 

 imphee, which was in common use amongst the natives as an 

 article of food. He had been so favorably impressed wath its 

 qualities as to undertake protracted journeys to collect new 

 varieties, and met with such success as to procure no less than 

 sixteen distinct kinds of greater or less saccharine richness. 

 Some of the more precocious ones will complete their growth in 

 three months, while others require as long as four and five. 



