Hunt.] 314 [March 5, 
spent more or less time in chemical work in his laboratory, 
he in subsequent years gave us little or nothing of his 
results. His great familiarity with the literature of chem- 
istry and mineralogy, his fertile mind, and his acute powers 
of observation, fitted him nevertheless, to be an investigator 
of a high order. The patient scrutiny with which he exam- 
ined any new mineral substance, calling in the aid alike of 
chemistry and the microscope, was the delight of those who 
were admitted to his confidence. That he did not elaborate 
the results thus obtained and give them publicity, is to be 
ascribed in part to his great modesty, which led him to 
under-rate the value of his observations, and in part to the 
fact that his time out of the laboratory was chiefly given to 
his botanical investigations, which divided his allegiance, and 
deprived mineralogy and chemistry of many precious con- 
tributions which, it is to be feared, are now lost, and must 
await a second discoverer. An example of this occurred in 
along and carefully written letter, containing observations 
on the varieties of iridosmine from our Pacific coast, sent 
to the writer of this notice, with specimens for verifica- 
tion, some two yearssince. When urged to publish his facts, 
Dr. Torrey declined, saying that they were too insignificant. 
The moral nature of Dr. Torrey was one of rare excel- 
lence and beauty. An engaging frankness, a genial humor, a 
generous sympathy and a child-like simplicity of manner, 
with a happy religious faith, endeared him to all who were so 
fortunate as to be admitted to his intimacy; and he was 
always ready to extend a helping hand to young aspirants in 
science, who never sought in vain his council or his aid. He 
retained to the last a lively interest in all his scientific pur- 
suits. Such a man could never grow old in heart, nor were 
his powers apparently enfeebled by advancing age. In 
November last, the writer listened to him with delight, as he 
turned from learned and judicious comments on a recently 
published chemical treatise, to his microscopic studies on 
certain sands, where his keen vision had just made discov- 
eries which had eluded the scrutiny of younger eyes; nor 
