BOTANY AT ST. LOUIS 49 ^ 



there proceeded up the Cumberland Kiver by boat, as far as Clarksville ; 

 he then visited Nashville, Knoxville, Louisville, and Morganton, finally 

 arriving at Charleston again in April, 179G. During all of this time 

 he collected eagerly, and more or less extensively. His journals, how- 

 ever, give no indications of the species or the number of them found at 

 Cahokia. He seems to have found a considerable number at Kaskaskia, 

 at which place he spent most of his time while in Illinois. In his 

 " Flora " we find mentioned about 100 species as occurring in the Illi- 

 nois territory; this, however, at that time included all of the territory 

 north of the Ohio which was visited by Michaux. This seems to have 

 been his last extensive trip in America ; and in August, 1796, he em- 

 barked for Amsterdam and was shipwrecked on the coast of Holland. 

 He is said to have been nearly drowned himself, and a large part of 

 his collections were lost. He remained in France for several years, 

 studjdng his collections and preparing the manuscript for his " Flora." 

 In 1800 he joined an expedition to Australia, but, becoming disgusted 

 with the management, he landed on the Island of Mauritius, but from 

 there he soon went to Madagascar; here he established a botanical gar- 

 den and began collecting extensively; but he soon fell victim to the un- 

 healthy climate, and died on November 13, 1802. 



Michaux probably traveled more extensively in North America than 

 any other early botanist. He was the author of numberless new species 

 and many new genera of American plants. Unfortunately, the genus, 

 Michauxia, which commemorates his name, is one discovered by himself 

 in Persia; so that his name is not thus associated with North American 

 botany, which was so greatly advanced by his studies and explorations. 



Immediately following the exposition held at St. Louis in commem- 

 oration of the purchase of Louisiana from France, there was held 

 another exposition upon the Pacific coast to celebrate the centennial of 

 the arrival of the Lewis and Clark expedition at the mouth of the Co- 

 lumbia River. This expedition was the first to penetrate overland to the 

 Pacific coast and the results of its successful termination were of im- 

 mense importance to the entire northwestern country. The journals of 

 the expedition contain many references to plants seen, and especially to 

 those which were peculiar or interesting, or which were used by the 

 Indians. 



In the previously mentioned attempt at the exploration of the north- 

 west country, Michaux was to accompany the party. In the expedition 

 which finally did make the journey there was no person who could be 

 called a botanist. Although Captain Lewis was a very keen and ob- 

 servant man, he could not overcome his lack of botanical training, and 

 the results in this regard were hardly what they would have been had 

 Michaux been with the expedition. The journey up the Missouri Eiver 

 was made in boats manned with oars and, owing to the rapid current of 



