1 68 SOME AMERICAN MEDICAL BOTANISTS 



barrens of New Jersey, he to take the half of the 

 collection and pay expenses in the field. While 

 at Quaker Bridge he met a " fine-looking man 

 who came down in a chaise looking after some 

 particular insect " ; this was Major Le Conte, 

 long time a resident of Philadelphia and active 

 member of the noted Academy of Natural Sci- 

 ences, whom I also knew for many years. 



The following year — Gray is not quite sure of 

 the date — he got a furlough from Bartlett's 

 School at Utica, where he was teaching botany, 

 and became assistant to Torrey during his course 

 of chemical lectures in the Medical College of 

 New York, living in his house in the herbarium 

 and receiving $80 as pay. 



The first century of his North American Gra- 

 mineae and Gyperaceae came out in the winter 

 of 1834. But rather a disappointing time came 

 between this and the next century, in 1835. ^^ 

 had thrown up the appointment at Bartlett's 

 School, and now Torrey — the Medical College 

 being in a bad way — found he could no longer 

 have an assistant; but Gray determined to go to 

 New York and help him. Staying with Torrey 

 was really a fine part of Gray's education; for 

 the scientist was also a devout Christian and, with 

 his religious, kindly wife, criticised and amended 

 the young man's manners, tastes and habits, rous- 



