Asa. Gray. 201 



The last visit to Europe was made during the past year. 

 He went with the intention of doing but little of his herbarium 

 work, and, finding pleasure among friends, old and new. 

 Mrs. Gray, as usual, was with him. It proved to be a trium- 

 phal time to the modest botanist ; for he received the honor 

 of doctorate from each of the great Universities of Britain, 

 that of Oxford, of Cambridge and of Edinburgh. He returned 

 in October, in excellent spirits and health — an apparent prom- 

 ise of some years more of work. He was soon again occupied 

 with his " Flora," the completion of which was the earnest 

 desire of all botanists. Yet while wishing to see its last page 

 himself, his anxiety about it had lessened in later years, because 

 aware that his colleague in charge of the Herbarium, Dr. 

 Sereno Watson — one of the students that he had gathered 

 about him — was capable of taking up the lines whenever he 

 should lay them down. 



Gray's standing among philosophers abroad is manifested in 

 his recent reception in Great Britain. It is further shown in 

 his having been elected an honorary member of all the prin- 

 cipal Academies or Societies of Science in Europe, including 

 the Royal Society of London and the Institute of France. 

 He was President of the Association for the Advancement of 

 Science in the year 1871, and has been one of the Regents of 

 the Smithsonian Institution since 1874 ; and for ten years, from 

 1863 to 1873, he was President of the American Academy of 

 Arts and Sciences. In 1884 his portrait in bronze, made by 

 St. Gaudens, was presented to Harvard College. 



One of the most gratifying testimonials from his fellows in 

 science was received on his seventy-fifth birthday. To his 

 surprise there came greetings or notes of congratulations 

 from every American botanist, old and young, and, along with 

 the notes, a silver vase embossed with figures of the plants 

 more particularly identified with his name or studies. It 

 was delightful to witness, says one of his associates, his child- 

 like pleasure as he received the gift. Among the letters 

 were some from friends who were not botanists. The follow- 

 ing lines were from Mr. Lowell : 



