4 EOYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



our attention in a higher degree than the vegetable productions of North 

 America. Her forests produce an endless variety of useful and stately 

 timber trees ; her woods and hedges the most ornamental of flowering 

 shrubs, so much admired in our pleasure grounds ; and her fields and 

 meadows a number of exceedingly handsome and singular flowers (many 

 of them possessing valuable medicinal virtues) different from those of 

 other countries. All these are more or less capable of being adapted to 

 a European climate, and the greater part of easy cultivatit)n and quick 

 growth ; which circumstances have given them, with much propriet}-, 

 the first rank in ornamental gardening." 



" A country so highly abundant in all the objects of my favourite 

 pursuits, excited in me, at an early period of life, a strong desire to visit 

 it. and to observe in their natural soil and climate, the plants which I 

 then knew ; and to make such discoveries as circumstances might thi-ow 

 in my way. This plan I carried into execution in the year 1799."' 



With the exception of his immediate predecessoi'S, no botanist had 

 accomplished more than Pursh to make the vegetation of Canada known, 

 and since his time, very few have contributed in so important a degree to 

 the enlai'gement of Canadian botanical science. Apart from his pub- 

 lished Flora, the principal insight into his work in America is to be 

 gained from his journal,' which was found among papers accompanying 

 the herbarium ol Dr. J. S. Barton when it was transferred to the custody of 

 the American Philosophical Society of Philadelphia. This manuscript 

 was later published by the society under the editorship of Mr. T. P. 

 James, but unfortunately, it does not deal with that part of Pui'sh's work 

 which was continued into and ended in Canada. Nevertheless, this record 

 must always have a high degree of interest and value for Canadians as 

 for other botanists, not only because of the valuable notes it contains, 

 but because it gives a clear insight into the man's character and shows 

 him to have been possessed of indomitable perseverance, pursuing his 

 work amid all the harassing discouragements of very limited means 

 which, on one occasion, necessitated the sale of his gun, and borne down 

 by bad health which, on more than one occasion threatened to abrujDtly 

 terminate his useful work. Amid difficulties which would have forced 

 most men to turn their thoughts and energies in other directions, he 

 preserved a hopeful confidence in his work, which jM-oved the mainstay of 

 all his labours. His entire explorations were made on foot. 



Jjeaving the United States after about twelve years of hard and 

 niseful work, he visited the West Indies and thence proceeded to England 

 where he completed the two volume work by which he is known. This 

 done, he sailed for Canada where he spent the remaining years of his life 

 in an effort to prepare a Canadian flora. He made extensive collections, 



1 Flora Americœ Septentrional i.s, I. v. 



2 Journ. of Bot. Excursions ; Phila. 1807 : Flora Amer. Sept., 1814, I., vlii. 



