190 Asa Gray. 



studies. 'But he entered on the duties with zeal, conducted the 

 required lectures in the most lucid and attractive manner, freely 

 gave the use of his study to such students as wished to learn 

 more of the science than they could acquire from the lectures, 

 and gathered a vast herbarium. And all the time he carried 

 on an enormous correspondence with promptness, and answered 

 all social demands with unfailing courtesy, besides continuing 

 his botanical investigations and writing books and memoirs. 

 These duties continued until 1872, when he was relieved from 

 that of teaching and the charge of the garden. In 1864, he 

 made the offer -to Harvard College of the herbarium and library 

 which he had gathered, already very large, on the condition of 

 their erecting a fire-proof building to contain them, which was 

 accepted. 



Botanical work was always in progress in some form. One 

 of the very valuable parts of it consisted in his contributions to 

 this Journal — which were continued, with scarcely any inter- 

 ruption, for the love of the science and of the men engaged in 

 it. Every important work as it was issued was here noticed, 

 with often critical remarks, or additional facts and illustrations, 

 or modifications of opinions, that gave them great scientific 

 value. And not the least instructive and attractive part were 

 the biographical sketches of deceased botanists, European as 

 well as American ; for to him the world was all one, and all 

 botanists were akin. He was sure to criticise what he believed 

 to be wrong ; but it was done so fairly, with so evident a desire 

 for scientific accuracy, and in so kind a spirit, that offense was 

 rarely given. A botanist of eminence says that " these notices 

 form the best history of the botanical literature of the last fifty 

 years, and of the progress and development of botanical science, 

 that has been written." 



The fortieth volume' of this Journal (1841) contains an ad- 

 mirable example of his kindly method of reviewing an author 

 that has faults, and of his critical study among great difficulties. 

 It is a review of the botanical writings of Rafinesque, that 

 enthusiastic naturalist, poet, etc., with reference, not to his 

 faults, but to the value to be attached to his numerous genera 

 ' and species and their recognition in American Botany. 

 Throughout, there is a full appreciation of Rafinesque's saga- 



