The following sketch of this estimable man is from Bowditclis American Florist, and will probably be new to most of our readers. In regard to the criticism on " School Botany" - or F. F. and G. Botany, there is this to be said of it, that it was written under a great pressure for want of time, and while the author was preparing for a long journey to the old world. Still though not equal to the other works of Dr. Gray, it has been of great service to those for whom it was written :

"Probably every person in the United States and in the British Provinces of North America who has any knowledge of botany, has heard of Dr. Asa Gray and has some idea of the work he has done for his favorite science. At the present time the masses of educated people have a much greater respect for botany than they had twenty or thirty years ago. They have learned that botany does not consist simply in hard names; that there is something more to learn about a plant than its name and description.

"No person in America has done more to bring about this respect for botany than the subject of this sketch. He has done much to show how plants are constructed, how they grow, and how they behave. He has frequently pointed out some of the relations of botany to agriculture and horticulture, and the relations which plants sustain to all of the organic and inorganic world. He has done much to make botany popular, by his essays, by his books, and by his teaching in Harvard University. In 1836, his first text book appeared and was called 'Elements of Botany.' Since then at various times, have appeared others, till now we have 'How Plants Grow,' ' How Plants Behave,' 'Lessons in Botany,' 'Manual of Botany,' 'Field, Forest and Garden Botany,'and the 'Structural Botany.' These are all good, but the best of them it seems to the writer, is 'The Lessons,' and the poorest , 'The Field, Forest and Garden Botany.'

A new edition of the ' Structural Botany' has just appeared. This has been almost entirely rewritten; much matter has been dropped, much added, and the book brought up to the times. He has omitted most that pertains to the anatomy and physiology of plants, and also the illustrated accounts of the prominent natural orders. The work is adapted to advanced students, and it is the best work we have in the English language on the subjects on which it treats.

"In 1842, he was elected Fisher Professor of Natural History in Harvard University, and has occupied that chair ever since that time - a period of nearly forty years. Until within about five years, he taught the classes in botany at Harvard. It may not be generally known that his name appears as first among the list of Professors appointed in the University of Michigan. This position he never filled, but soon resigned to go to Harvard. As a teacher his greatest forte is in directing the studies of his special or advanced students. He is extremely fond of plants and everything that pertains to them. He admires their beauty; he likes to study all of their adaptations to the rest of the world. It is almost impossible for any person to work under his direction and in his presence, without catching some of his inspiration. Nearly all the leading Professors of Botany in the colleges of the United States have been students of Dr. Gray for a greater or shorter period.

"By many he is known for his valuable text books just enumerated, but these constitute but a small part of his work. He has described and named a vast number of flowering plants which have been collected in numerous exploring expeditions. These descriptions appear in numerous government and state reports which need not here be enumerated. These are very valuable contributions to science, but they are almost lost sight of by the mass of people. One of his greatest contributions was a work on grasses, sedges and the like, the former of which are of such great value to the farmer. One of his greatest works is 'The Flora of North America,' begun in 1838. The first two volumes were prepared jointly with the late Dr. Torrey. They extended over the Compositae. Dr. Gray has lately renewed the work and alone printed part first of a third volume. In 1848 appeared the the first volume of his 'Genera of the Plants of the United States.' The object in this work was to describe a prominent species of each genus of plants in North America. These were accompanied by-detailed drawings by Isaac Sprague. the best botanical artist in this country. These drawings are marvels of accuracy and have never been excelled in any land, and probably they were never equalled. The text was prepared with great care.

The work only passed through two volumes. It is now rare and costly. Dr. Gray was ready to continue the work, but the artist could not be induced to do so. He thought his drawings were not appreciated.

"In connection with his other work, Dr. Gray did considerable towards maintaining and increasing the botanic garden, greenhouse, etc., at Cambridge. In the early part of his studies, he was an industrious collector of plants, and he laid the foundation for the great herbarium at Harvard.

He has made valuable contributions to botany in a host of miscellaneous papers and reviews contributed to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, to the American Journal of Science and Arts, North American Review, Atlantic Monthly, Transactions of the American Pomological Society and to the numerous Journals of Agriculture and Horticulture.

"In 1837 - 45 years ago - appeared the first contribution we find in the American Journal of Science and Arts. This was a paper read before the Lyceum of Natural History in New York, October 24, 1836. The subject was "Vegetable Fecundation." Then soon follows other valuable papers - one on synonymy of several plants of the orchid tribe, notes on European herbaria, and a botanical excursion to the mountains of North Carolina. In 1853, Dr. Gray appears as associate editor of the journal last named, and has held this position up to the present time - a period of 28 years. One of his ablest articles was that in which he points out the relation of the Flora of Japan to that of Eastern North America. Almost every work of any merit on botany that has appeared in any country within the last twenty-five years, has been ably reviewed by Dr. Gray in the American Journal of Science and Arts. His own works were reviewed by others. He has taken up many knotty problems in botany, and has lived long enough to see most botanists fall in with his conclusions on the subjects investigated.

"Asa Gray was born in Paris, Oneida county, New York, November 18, 1810. He graduated as Doctor of Medicine at Fairfield College in 1831; received the degree of LL. D. from Hamilton College in 1861. For some years he was president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and in 1872, president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is honorary or corresponding member of any number of leading foreign scientific societies. His name stands above. that of any other American botanist, and ranks with the best of those in Europe."