Amos Eaton and John Torrey correspondence, 1816-1840

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Related/Analytical: New York Botanical Garden Archives

Series: John Torrey papers, series 1, correspondence

By

Eaton, Amos, 1776-1842

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Archival material

Publication info

Notes

Correspondence from Amos Eaton to John Torrey, dated 1816-1840. The correspondence begins the year after Eaton's release from prison, while he is living in New Haven, Connecticut, studying natural science ("I intend to know all that can be known of mineralogy and botany in this country"), and working on a book with Yale professor Eli Ives. Shortly after the death of his second wife in late 1816 Eaton relocates to Massachusetts, and begins a period he calls "this wandering life," travelling to deliver limited series' of popular lectures in botany, chemistry, and geology throughout New York State and New England. His letters are tart, opinionated, affectionate, and a touch paranoid. His fondness for Torrey is clearly and continually evident, even when, alarmed by Torrey's suggestion that he too embark on a series of popular lectures, he pragmatically lists the younger man's strengths and weaknesses: "I will tell you what you are and are not, in a few words ... Your personal presence is not commanding--Your language and manner are not prepossessing--Your literature has not a classical polish. Then what has raised you above every individual of your years in North America? It is your discriminating powers, your indefatigable research, set off to the best advantage by that modest confidence for which you are distinguished." Clearly stung by what he sees as an ongoing conspiracy by the same "enemies" who contributed to his earlier incarceration, Eaton often requests Torrey's discretion when discussing a new project, and wonders aloud what their reaction will be to his successes. His modest accounting of his own talent ("I can bring down the labors of the learned to the capacities of illiterate boys and girls as well as anyone") doesn't dim his enthusiasm for geology and botany, or for teaching his students, both male and female. He writes with great enthusiasm of new acquaintances he esteems, like Chester Dewey and Charles Upham Shepard; conversely, when his gimlet eye lan

In English.

Subjects

Actaea racemosa , Andromeda polifolia , Apocynum androsaemifolium , Arabis , Asclepias , Barite , Barratt, Joseph, 1796-1882 , Beck, Lewis C. (Lewis Caleb), 1798-1853 , Beck, Theodric Romeyn, 1791-1855 , Bird, William A., 1796-1878 , Boott, Francis, 1792-1863 , Botanical dictionary , Botanical specimens , Boyer, Jean Pierre, 1776-1850 , Burritt, Ely, 1773-1823 , Campanula , Chemistry , Cleaveland, Parker, 1780-1858 , Clinton, DeWitt, 1769-1828 , Clintonia borealis , Cooley, Dennis, 1787-1860 , Cooper, William, 1798?-1864 , Correspondence , Dalliba, James , Dewey, Chester, 1784-1867 , Dickinson, John Dean, 1767-1841 , Draba , Eaton, Amos, 1776-1842 , Eaton, William, 1764-1811 , Eddy, Caspar Wistar, 1790-1828 , Emmons, Ebenezer, 1799-1863 , Epilobium tetragonum , Featherstonhaugh, George William, 1780-1866 , Flora of North America , Flora of the northern and middle sections of the U , Gates, Elias , Geology , Gibbs, George, 1776-1833 , Gray, Asa, 1810-1888 , Hale, Moses, 1780-1837 , Hall, James, 1811-1898 , Hallock, William A. (William Allen), 1794-1880 , Henry, Joseph, 1797-1878 , Heteranthera , Holley, Myron, 1779-1841 , Horsford, Eben Norton, 1818-1893 , Hosack, David, 1769-1835 , Hunt, David, 1773-1837 , Index to the geology of the Northern States , Ives, Eli, 1779-1861 , James, Edwin, 1797-1861 , Kellogg, Ebenezer, 1789-1846 , Lansing, John, 1754-1829 , Lemna trisulca , Lewis, Morgan, 1754-1844 , Linnaea borealis , Lonicera , Lyceum of Natural History (New York, N.Y.) , Lycium barbarum , Lygodium , Magnesium sulfate , Manual of botany for the northern states , Marcy, William L. (William Learned), 1786-1857 , Mineralogy , Mitchell, Elisha, 1793-1857 , Muhlenberg, Henry, 1753-1815 , Myagrum , Myosotis virginiana , New York (State), Natural History Survey , Oryzopsis , Parsons, Levi, 1792-1822 , Pendleton, Nathaniel, 1756-1821 , Persoon, C. H. (Christiaan Hendrik), 1755-1837 , Platanthera blephariglottis , Polygonatum macropodum , Polygonum amphibium , Pterospora andromedea , Pursh, Frederick, 1774-1820 , Rafinesque, C. S. (constantine Samuel), 1783-1840 , Rensselaer Institute , Rensselaer School , Riccia , Robbins, Amatus, -1854 , Robinia , Roe, Stephen C., -1844 , Rousseau, Jean-Jacques, 1712-1778 , Rubus saxatilis , Sagina procumbens , Sanguisorba officinalis , Sarracenia flava , Shepard, Charles Upham, 1804-1886 , Silliman, Benjamin, 1779-1864 , Society for the Promotion of Useful Arts , Strong, Caleb, 1745-1819 , T. & J. Swords (Firm) , Thayer, Sylvanus, 1785-1872 , Tompkins, Daniel D., 1774-1825 , Torrey, John, 1796-1873 , Troy Lyceum of Natural History , Van Rensselaer, Stephen, 1764-1839 , Veronicastrum virginicum , Webster & Skinners , Whitlaw, Charles, 1776-1829 , Williams College , Wright, John, 1811-1846 , Wynkoop, John Q , Yale College (1718-1887) , Young, Samuel, 1779-1850

BHL Collections

John Torrey Papers

Language

English

Identifiers

OCLC: 1000521588