6 ESSAYS. 
From Gronovius, Linneus had received a very small num- 
ber of Clayton’s plants, previous to the publication of the 
“Species Plantarum” ; but most of the species of the “ Flora 
Virginica” were adopted or referred to other plants on the 
authority of the descriptions alone. 
Linnzus had another American correspondent in Dr. John 
Mitchell,! who lived several years in Virginia, where he col- 
lected extensively; but the ship in which he returned to 
England having been taken by pirates, his own collections, 
as well as those of Governor Colden, were mostly destroyed. 
Linneus, however, had previously received a few specimens, 
as, for instance, those on which Proserpinaca, Polypremum, 
Galax, and some other genera were founded. 
There were two other American botanists of this period, 
from whom Linneus derived either directly or indirectly 
much information respecting the plants of this country, 
namely, John Bartram and Dr. Alexander Garden of Charles- 
ton, South Carolina. 
ing plant, growing on bogs ; the roots are used in a decoction by the coun- 
try people for sore mouths and sore throats. The root and leaves are 
very bitter, ete. I shall send you the characters as near asI can translate 
them.” Then follows Miss Colden’s detailed generic character, prepared 
in a manner which would not be discreditable to a botanist of the present 
day. Itisa pity that Linneus did not adopt the genus, with Miss Col- 
den’s name, which is better than Salisbury’s Coptis. “This young lady 
merits your esteem and does honor to your method. She has drawn and 
described four hundred plants in your system: she uses only English 
terms. Her father has a plant called after him Coldenia; suppose you 
should call this (alluding to a new genus of which he added the charac- 
ters) Coldenella, or any other name which might distinguish her among 
your genera.” (Ellis, Letter to Linneus.) 
1 To him the pretty Mitchella repens was dedicated. Dr. Mitchell had 
sent to Collinson, perhaps as early as the year 1740, a paper in which 
thirty new genera of Virginian plants were proposed. This Collinson 
sent to Trew at Nuremberg, who published it in the “ Ephemerides Acad. 
Naturae Curiosorum’”’ for 1748; but in the mean time most of the 
genera had been already published, with other names, by Linnzus or Gro- 
novius. Among Mitchell’s new genera was one which he called Chame- 
daphne : this Linneus referred to Lonicera, but the elder (Bernard) Jus- 
sieu, in a letter dated February 19, 1751, having shown him that it was 
very distinct both from Lonicera and Linnea, and in fact belonged toa 
different natural order, he afterwards named it Mitchella. 
