288 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



June 19th, 1855. 



Ppesent— Messrs. Prof. James J. Mapes, Dr. Austin Cliurcli, 

 Dr. Waterbm-y, Dr. Field, of Brooklyn, Dr. Watson, of Staten 

 Island, Rev. Samuel White, of Staten Island, Hon. M. Bergen, 

 of Gowanus, Long Island, Dr. Sliepard, Prof. Geo. E. Waring, 

 of Jersey, Paul Stillman, of the Novelty Works, the venerable 

 Benjamin Pike, of Jersey, optician, between 80 and 90 years of 

 age, George B. Rapelye, George Bacon, Charles Oakley, Mr. 

 Pardee, Orange Judd, Esq., John Handel, Jr., of Maryland, 

 Rutherford M. Whiufield, of Poughkeepsie and others— nearly 

 fifty members. 



Austin Church, M. D., in the chair. Henry Meigs, Secretary. 



The Secretary read the following extracts made by him, viz : 

 BOTANY. — Illustrated by 



First Period — 



Hippocrates, A. C. 400 



Theophrastus, ^'^^ 



History of 500 plants. 



Dioscorides, History of 600 plants, P. C. 70 



Pliny's Compilation, do 1000 do 74 



Galen, ^^1 



In Arabia. 



Then after the decline of learning, we begin with a series 

 of translators and commentators, &c., 1 500 



Second Period — 



First accm-ate prints of plants, 1^32 



First botanic garden, at Padua in Italy, 1533 



Oonrad Gesner. First museum of natural history and first 



suggestion of a system— class, order, genera, species, . 1 500 



Csesalpinus — Improvement on Gesner, 1583 



T. Columna, first copper plates of plants— improved 



genera and botanic language, 1 592 



Twenty-two wi-iters down to Catesby's Natural History 

 of Carolina, &c. 



Royal Society of London established, 16G5 



Royal Academy of Science, Paris, 1666 



Third Period — 

 Lmnseus — Sexual system, ITS5 



This our period has employed a large number of writers, and 

 between 500 or 600 practical botanists, almost all of whom have 

 passed the best portion of their lives (like Theophrastus) in 

 traveling all countries in search of plants. 



