20 Staten Island Association of Arts and Sciences 



dred titles will be found three papers on museums, a guide to 

 mineral collections, three editions of the Geology of the City of 

 New York, A Trip around Iceland, Analytics of a Belief in a 

 Future State, Protection a Reasonable Doctrine, The Substance 

 of Literature, and about a half dozen novels. 



From 1878 to 1881 he was also chemist to the Metropolitan 

 Gas Co., and on one occasion delivered a lecture before the 

 ' Natural Science Association of Staten Island on the Properties 

 of the various kinds of illuminating gas. As a lecturer he had 

 few equals, and his many ideas were not only presented enter- 

 tainingly, but also through the medium of a remarkable vocabu- 

 lary. It is related that ex-Governor Benjamin B. Odell, a guest 

 at an alumni dinner, after listening to Mr. Gratacap, turned to 

 the presiding officer of the occasion and remarked : " That man a 

 cold scientist? Why if he went into public life, he would class 

 with orators like Joseph Choate and Horace Porter." But Mr. 

 Gratacap did not care to go into public life ; he was a student and 

 thought more of the quiet of his home, where he and his brother 

 Thomas lived alone, except for the servant, after the death of 

 their parents. He also lived for his friends, and many can testify 

 to his kindly acts both in financial aid and otherwise. We know 

 of at least one hall man in the American Museum that through 

 him was able to enter a profession, and there are many others 

 that he helped with advice and sympathy, which is often quite 

 as useful as more material aid. 



While we cannot here enter into all of the details of a lengthy 

 biography, ' we can at least recall more minutely his connection 

 with the Natural Science Association of Staten Island, of which 

 he became a member in 1881. In 1887 and 1888 he was presi- 

 dent of the Association, and we recall his efforts to make the 

 meetings, which were then held in the New Brighton Village 

 Hall, attractive and interesting. From 1884 to 1901 he con- 

 tributed twenty-four papers and miscellaneous notes to our Pro- 

 ceedings and, as these show his interest in the natural history of 

 our island, the list is appended. 



