JANE GOLDEN AND THE FLORA OF NEW YORK. 15 



name that might distniguish hev among your Genera." Unfortu- 

 nately LinufEus did not recognise the genus as distinct, so neither 

 of these names was adopted. 



Little indications in the descriptions show that Miss Golden 

 went among the country folk and noted their names and rustic 

 remedies. Thus of Vedicuhiris tuhcrom (No. 41) she says : "The 

 Pedicularis is called by the country people Betony : they make Thee 

 of the Leaves, and use it for the Fever and Ague." Asdepias 

 tnherosa is "an excellent cure for the Colick. This was learn'd 

 from a Canada Indian, aud is called in New England Canada Root. 

 The Excellency of this Root for the Colick is confirm 'd by Dr. 

 Pater of New England, and Dr. Brooks of Maryland likewise con- 

 firmed this." The root of Sulidnt/o cfouidcnsis "is used in Carolina 

 for the cure of the Negro Poison" ; (Enothera biennis is "call'd here 

 by the Country People, Seabedge"; jSlnlva caroliniana is "called in 

 South Carolina, Bohea Tea"; and (rUlenia trifoliata is "call'd here, 

 Ipecacuanha." Occasionally a note shows particular observation, 

 such as this on Clematis virginiana : " Neither Linnaeus take notice (sic) 

 that there are some Plants of the Clematis that bear only Male 

 flowers, but this I have observed with such care, that there can be no 

 doubt of it." 



In addition to the extracts already given, other references in the 

 Correspondence of LinncEiis show that Miss Colden was well known 

 to the botanists of that period. Collinson, writing to Linnjeus, 

 May 12, 175G, says she "is perhaps the first lady that has so 

 perfectly studied your system. She ought to be celebrated": and 

 he appears, from other remarks in his letters, to have been anxious 

 that Linnaeus should commemorate her. Although he did not do 

 this, he seems to have spoken kindly of her, for Ellis, in a letter 

 somewhat later than the one already quoted, says: "You have 

 plainly shewed me that the Fibraurea of Miss Colden is already 

 described. I shall let her know what civil things you say of her — 

 her Christian name is .Jane." If Garden's remark in his letter to 

 Ellis, March 25, 1755, is not merely a conventional compliment, 

 she must have been beautiful as well as clever, for he speaks of 

 Colden's "lovely daughter"; unless the present transatlantic use 

 of the word as a general expression of approval prevailed a century 

 ago. She was also a correspondent of John Bartram, from whom 

 a letter to her is published in Memorials of Bartram, p. 400, dated 

 Jan. 24, 1757. It is in answer to one from her, of which Bartram 

 says: " I read it several times with agreeable satisfaction; indeed, 

 I am very careful of it, and it keeps company with the choicest 

 correspondence." The letter, however, is unfortunately lost, and, 

 as far as I know, none from her pen are extant. These dates 

 show clearly that the date of death given by Pritzel — 1754 — is 

 inaccurate, as at that time, and for at least four years later, she 

 was not married. She died, as has already been stated, shortly 

 after her marriage, aud of her husband or her married life we 

 know nothing. 



James Britten. 



