180 Asa Gray. . 



Luzon in the Philippines, at Singapore, at Cape of Good Hope 

 and St. Helena — and his open mind would have gathered in 

 facts on the relations and geographical distribution of species 

 that would have been to him a mine of wealth as science ad- 

 vanced under Darwin's lead. The place of botanist in the 

 expedition was well occupied by the most excellent, indefati- 

 gable and many-sided zoologist, Dr. Charles Pickering, and by 

 Mr. Win. D. Breekenridge, a Scotch gardener and zealous col- 

 lector, and Mr. Wm. Eich ; but with Dr. Gray, devoted to the 

 one subject, great results would have been accomplished. North 

 American botany, however, would no doubt have suffered. 



By October of 1838, a couple of months after the sailing of 

 the Exploring Expedition, two parts of the projected " Flora n 

 were already out. But so many doubtful points had been 

 brought to light, that a study of foreign herbaria had become 

 imperative. Dr. Gray had accepted, during the summer, the 

 chair of botany in the recently founded University of Michigan, 

 but with the condition that he should have a year abroad for 

 study ; and the year was given to this object. All the herbaria 

 of Europe were carefully examined with regard to the type- 

 specimens of American plants, and full notes taken for use in 

 the discrimination and identification of species. The fortieth 

 volume of this, Journal (April, 1841) opens with a highly in- 

 teresting paper by him, giving accounts of these herbaria, their 

 contributors, condition, and special characters, commencing with 

 that of Linnaeus and the story of its career before reaching the 

 Linnean Society of London. His labors abroad involved an 

 immense amount of detailed and exact observation, requiring 

 thorough knowledge, excellent judgment, and a retentive mem- 

 ory ; and he came home well stored for the work which he and 

 Torrey had in hand. 



Moreover, he made during the trip the personal acquaintance 

 of the leading botanists of England and the Continent, and had 

 from all a cordial reception. 



" In Glasgow he made the acquaintance of William Jackson 

 Hooker, the founder of the greatest of all herbaria, the author 

 of many works upon botany, who had already published a large 

 part of his " Flora Boreali-Americana, " in which were described 

 the plants of British North America, a work just then of special 



