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munity and elite of the Philadelphia circles. He began, at 

 that time, to publish scientific essays in the Journal of the 

 Philadelphia Academy of Natural Sciences : — 1st, Observa- 

 tions on the genus Eriogonum^ and oi^der Polygonacece ; 

 2d, An account of ttvo new genera of Plants ; of a species of 

 Tillea^ and another of Limosella, recently discovered on the 

 banks of the Delaware, in the vici7iity of Philadelphia. 

 3d, Description of Collinsia, a new genus of Plants, dedicated 

 to his friend and patron, Z. Collins. 



The Genera of the North American Plants was published 

 the ensuing year, 1818, in two vols. 12mo. Upon this work, 

 principally, stands the reputation of Mr. Nuttall, as a pro- 

 found botanist. Professor Torrey, in the preface to his Flora, 

 justly remarks, " that it has contributed, more than any other 

 work, to the advance of the accurate knowledge of the plants 

 of this country." It is well known that he set up himself 

 the best part of the types, and such was his accuracy in type 

 composition, that some parts of his work were set up without 

 a single error, and others, even without copy, reduced to 

 writing. 



Mr. Nuttall had long entertained the idea of visiting the 

 regions of the Arkansas as a fresh field of exploration, pro- 

 mising to afford him an abundant harvest of new and interest- 

 ing materials. In this enterprise he was assisted by Messrs. 

 Correa de Serra, Z. Collins, Wm. Maclure, and John Vaughan, 

 who procured him the means to perform this distant and 

 hazardous journey. 



He left Philadelphia on the 2d of October, 1818, and pass- 

 ing through Pittsburg, and down the Ohio and Mississippi, 

 arrived at the mouth of the Arkansas River, on the 13th of 

 January. He reached the post of Arkansas on the 22d fol- 

 lowing, and Fort Bcllcpoint on the 24th of April. There he 

 left the river Arkansas to ascend on foot the Pottoe, one of 

 its tributaries, and, with Major Bradford and a company of 

 U. S. soldiers, he proceeded across the wilderness to the con- 

 fluence of the Kiameska and Red Rivers. Hence he returned 

 to the garrison of Bellepoint with abundant collections. 

 Having there obtained accommodation in the boat of a gentle- 



