INTROniCTWN. 21 



Others have issued annals or journals of Bot- 

 any, else vast compilations or Encyclopedias of 

 Botany, where are found many useful accumu- 

 lated materials ; such were Lamark and Poiret, 

 the dictionaries of Nat. history, Dumont-Cour- 

 set, Miller and Martyn, Smith in Rees, Loudon 

 &.C. I have read and consulted them all : with 

 many more here omitted, and even some au- 

 thors of rare works seldom quoted; such as 

 Petagni, Vitman, Scopoli, Gouan, Bartram, 

 Llave, Legarza, Dumont, Fontenille, Cupani, 

 Chabreus, Gilbert, Thouars, Loureiro, Lunan, 

 Russel, Clarke, Robin ... In all there was 

 something to glean. 



Yet the result of all my researches upon these 

 former writers, has been merely with the view 

 to rectify their mistakes and generic blunders, 

 or add to their knowledge. This work is not 

 to be a compilation of their labors; but rather 

 a supplement to all theirs, and the complement 

 to my own. The fields wherein I was led to 

 seek for original knowledge, were Italy and the 

 South of France from 179G to 1802. North 

 America 1802 to 1804. Italy and Sicily from 

 1805 to 1815. Spain and the Azores in 1815. 

 North America again from Canada and Boston, 

 to the Mississipi and Apalachian mts. during 

 1616 to 1836. My travels and researches may 

 be seen in my TJfe of Travels published this 

 year 1836. 



I have chiefly studied and collected plants in 

 their native wilds, from the Summit of Etna to 

 the falls of Niagara: but I have also visited 

 many botanical and private Gardens in Mar- 

 seilles, Genoa, Pisa, Leghorn, Palermo, Messi- 

 na, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Albany, 

 Cincinnati, I^exington, Washington, &c. where 



