242 (Oct. 5, 
Robinson,] 
quested me to write an obituary notice, was at the 
time of his death the oldest member of our Society; 
one who at an earlier period in the annals of societies 
would have borne the title of zés Dean. He was 
elected one of its members January the 16th, 1824, 
three weeks only after the twenty-second anniversary 
of his birth, at a period when the Society had on its 
list of members as many distinguished and learned 
men as at any period before, or since, when (as I pre- 
sume is still the case), new members were nominated 
and elected without the slightest previous knowledge 
of their nomination being proposed, and when in the 
case of rejected nominations, no one besides those 
present knew that their names had been presented for 
consideration. On the 5th of March, 1824, between 
six or seven weeks after his election, Mr. Seybert 
read to the Society a clearly written and most inter- 
esting analysis of the chrysoberyls of Haddam (Con- 
necticut), and Brazil, a mineral and gem next to the 
sapphire in hardness, and which had for some years 
previous attracted much attention on account of its 
rareness, rather than its value. ‘This inaugural dis- 
course of Mr, Seybert will be found in Volume 2d, 
Article No, 3, of the new series of transactions of the 
Society, page 117. 
It is proper before proceeding farther, to tell you 
something of the parentage and early training of Mr. 
Seybert, which will explain how he became a member 
of our association at an earlier age than any member 
