330 



MEMOIRS, &c. 



much pleased me, and will surprise thee. The 

 box of turtle eggs, (which was an ingenious 

 thought of thine to send,) on the day I brought it 

 from on board ship, being the 20th of October, I 

 took off the lid having a mind to see the eggs, and 

 on peeping about I saw a little head just above the 

 ground, and while I was looking, I saw the ground 

 move in a place or two more. In short, in the 

 space of three or four hours, eight tortoises were 

 hatched. It was very well worth observing, how 

 artfully they disengaged themselves from the shell, 

 and then with their fore feet scratched their eyes 

 open. They have had many visiters, such a thing 

 never happening, I dare say, in England before. 

 They seem to be all one sort, but thee mentions 

 two. I tried if they would eat, with lettuce leaves, 

 &c, or if they would drink, but they regarded 

 neither. But after they had been crawling about 

 three or four days, they buried themselves in the 

 earth in the box, where they continue. Early in 

 the spring I design to turn them out at Lord 

 Petre's, who has large ponds, if they are water 

 turtles." p. 109. 



"I commend thy method of sowing Parsley, 

 &c. with the fir seed. In the northern provinces 

 of Germany, where it is sandy and barren and 

 will produce little but firs and pines, to prevent 

 the seedlings being burnt up, they sow oats with 

 their seed, to screen it in the summer, and its dry 

 straw protects it in the winter; for they do not 

 reap the oats ; and one reason may L e, in such a 

 barren soil, they are not worth it." p. 191. 



" This reminds me of the elegant species of 

 the Water Lily (Nelumbium luteum, Wild,) that 

 is in the Jerseys. Does it occupy such a depth of 

 water that the roots can't be come at? Thou art 

 ambitious of plants from us ; but here is the most 

 charming plant of Asia including China and 

 Egypt, in thy neighbourhood, and yet so little is 

 thy curiosity, or industry, that thou can'st not 

 avail thyself of so great a curiosity. Thou that 

 hast springs in thy garden to make a pond for its 

 reception; or a river so close by, if more proper 

 for its culture. Prithee, John, never more let 

 me reproach thy want of taste and curiosity in 

 this article. I wish thou could employ some per- 

 son to gather the seeds when ripe, and put in a 

 bottle of water, with a little sand or earth in its 

 bottom. I conceive, thus preserved, they would 

 come in a growing state to us. This I have 

 mentioned often before ; but roots well packed in 

 a great deal of wet moss, in a box, would do 

 better. 



If I was in thy place, I should spare no pains 

 or expense to be possessed of a curiosity, that 

 none in the province could boast of beside thyself; 

 which thou art ambitious of in other plants in no 

 comparison so charming when in flower." p. 222, 

 223. 



" I have a sprig (in flower) of the Kalmia in 

 w r ater. and it stares me in the face all the while 

 I am writing, saying, or seeming to say, ' As 



you are so fond of me, tell my friend, John Bar- 

 tram, who sent me. to send more to keep me- 

 company; for they will be sure to be well nursed 

 and well trea'ed.' " p. 228. 



" They enrich our knowledge, and anticipate 

 our pleasures, and give us a good idea of the 

 riches in store, to gratify the botanists of after 

 ages. O, Botany I delightfulest of all sciences f 

 There is no end of thy gratifications. All botan- 

 ists will join with me in thanking my dear John 

 for his unwearied pains to gratify every inquisi- 

 tive genius. I have sent Linnajus a specimen, 

 and one leaf of Tipiiiwitchet sensitive; only to 

 him would I spare such a jewel. Pray send more 

 specimens. I am afraid we can never raise it. 

 Linnaeus will be in raptures at the sight of it.' r 

 p. 251. 



There is too little from Baeteam him- 

 self, but the following show his tone,, and 

 the nature of his connectioa with his friend 



Collin on : 



[BAETSAM TO C011.IN30N.] 



" In thy letter of December the 20tb, thee sup- 

 poses me to spend five or six weeks in collections- 

 for you, and that ten pounds will defray all my 

 annaal expenses; but I assure thee, I spend more 

 than twice that time annually; and ten pounds- 

 will not, at a moderate expense, defray my 

 charges abroad ; besides my neglect of business 

 at home, in allowing, harvest, and seed time. 



Indeed I was more than two weeks in gather- 

 ing the small acorns of the willow-leafed oak, 

 which are very scarce, and falling with the leaves, 

 so that daily I had to rake up the leaves and 

 shake the acorns out, before they were devoured 

 by the squirrels and hogs; and I reckoned it 

 good luck if I could gather 20 under one tree, 

 and hardly one in twenty bore any. Yet I don's 

 begrudge my labor; but would do anything rea- 

 sonable to serve you. But by the sequel of thy 

 letter, yon are not sensible of the fourth part of 

 the pains I take to oblige you." p. 119, 120. 

 December, 1738. 



" Dear Friend : — I have performed my journey 

 through Maryland and Virginia, as far as Wil- 

 liamsburgh, so up James river to the mountains, 

 so over and between the mountains, in many very 

 crooked turnings and windings, in which, accord- 

 ing to the nearest computation I can make, be- 

 tween my setting out and my returning home, I 

 travelled 1100 miles in five weeks time; having 

 rested but one day in all that time, and that was 

 at Williamsburgh. I happened to go in the only- 

 time for gathering of seeds — the atumnal — both 

 in Maryland and Virginia ; and the exceeding 

 mild fall, favored the opportunity on and between 

 the mountains, whereby I gathered abundance of 

 kinds of seeds, in perfection, which have not ri- 

 pened for several years, because of the early 

 frosts, which tame a month or six weeks soones 



