﻿330 
  James 
  Dtvight 
  Dana. 
  

  

  among 
  the 
  corps 
  of 
  instructors 
  at 
  New 
  Haven. 
  A 
  number 
  of 
  

   others, 
  who 
  subsequently 
  rose 
  to 
  prominence, 
  were 
  among 
  

   those 
  who 
  shared 
  the 
  inspiration 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Edgerton's 
  instruc- 
  

   tion. 
  It 
  is 
  also 
  of 
  interest 
  that 
  Dr. 
  Asa 
  Gray, 
  a 
  close 
  friend 
  

   from 
  early 
  days, 
  took 
  Mr. 
  Edgerton's 
  place 
  in 
  the 
  school 
  in 
  

   1831. 
  

  

  In 
  1830, 
  attracted 
  by 
  the 
  name 
  and 
  reputation 
  of 
  Professor 
  

   Silliman, 
  he 
  came 
  to 
  New 
  Haven 
  and 
  entered 
  the 
  class 
  of 
  1833 
  

   of 
  Yale 
  College, 
  then 
  in 
  its 
  Sophomore 
  year. 
  He 
  was 
  a 
  faith- 
  

   ful 
  student, 
  but 
  those 
  were 
  days 
  of 
  a 
  rigid 
  course 
  of 
  study, 
  

   chiefly 
  in 
  the 
  classics, 
  affording 
  little 
  to 
  appeal 
  to 
  a 
  mind 
  with 
  

   a 
  strong 
  bent 
  for 
  the 
  methods 
  and 
  facts 
  of 
  science. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  

   surprising, 
  therefore, 
  that 
  though 
  obtaining 
  a 
  good 
  place 
  on 
  

   the 
  honor 
  list 
  he 
  did 
  not 
  make 
  a 
  brilliant 
  record 
  for 
  general 
  

   scholarship. 
  He 
  was, 
  moreover, 
  at 
  a 
  disadvantage 
  because 
  

   of 
  insufficient 
  training 
  in 
  the 
  ancient 
  languages, 
  felt 
  especially 
  

   by 
  one 
  entering 
  after 
  the 
  close 
  of 
  the 
  first 
  year 
  of 
  the 
  course. 
  

   It 
  should 
  be 
  stated, 
  however, 
  that 
  during 
  his 
  undergraduate 
  

   life, 
  he 
  attained 
  distinction 
  in 
  mathematics, 
  a 
  subject 
  for 
  which 
  

   he 
  always 
  had 
  decided 
  aptitude. 
  During 
  this 
  time 
  he 
  made 
  

   much 
  progress 
  in 
  science, 
  especially 
  in 
  his 
  favorite 
  study 
  of 
  

   Mineralogy. 
  In 
  Botany 
  also 
  he 
  took 
  great 
  interest; 
  during 
  

   his 
  College 
  life 
  he 
  made 
  a 
  large 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  plants 
  of 
  the 
  

   New 
  Haven 
  region, 
  and 
  a 
  printed 
  list 
  of 
  the 
  local 
  flora, 
  care- 
  

   fully 
  checked 
  and 
  annotated 
  by 
  him, 
  is 
  still 
  preserved. 
  

  

  For 
  music 
  he 
  had 
  throughout 
  his 
  life 
  a 
  strong 
  love, 
  and 
  when 
  

   in 
  College 
  he 
  devoted 
  much 
  attention 
  to 
  it, 
  being 
  on 
  one 
  occa- 
  

   sion 
  president 
  of 
  the 
  Beethoven 
  singing 
  society, 
  and 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  

   the 
  leader 
  of 
  the 
  college 
  choir. 
  He 
  also 
  made 
  some 
  attempts 
  at 
  

   musical 
  composition. 
  One 
  of 
  these 
  was 
  the 
  music 
  for 
  an 
  ode 
  

   to 
  the 
  Ship 
  " 
  Peacock 
  " 
  of 
  the 
  Exploring 
  Expedition 
  (see 
  p. 
  332), 
  

   written 
  by 
  the 
  Surgeon, 
  Dr. 
  J. 
  C. 
  Palmer 
  ; 
  both 
  gentlemen 
  

   found 
  a 
  source 
  of 
  recreation 
  and 
  pleasure 
  in 
  their 
  joint 
  musical 
  

   and 
  poetical 
  work 
  during 
  the 
  voyage. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note 
  

   that 
  many 
  years 
  later 
  when 
  upwards 
  of 
  seventy 
  and 
  unable 
  

   because 
  of 
  ill 
  health 
  to 
  write, 
  he 
  came 
  back 
  to 
  his 
  music 
  and 
  

   derived 
  much 
  comfort 
  from 
  working 
  at 
  it. 
  

  

  The 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  elder 
  Silliman, 
  then 
  at 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  his 
  

   powers 
  and 
  reputation, 
  did 
  much 
  to 
  decide 
  him 
  to 
  devote 
  him- 
  

  

  