BOTANY AT ST. LOUIS 492 
the river, progress was slow, thus affording opportunity for a consider- 
able amount of collecting to be done. During the ascent of the river 
quite an extensive collection of plants was made, but this had to be left 
behind when the Rocky Mountains were crossed, and was consequently 
lost. During the much more hurried return of the expedition another 
collection was made, but it was much smaller than the first, and compar- 
atively few species seem to have been collected about St. Louis. While 
this expedition did but little for St. Louis botany directly, it turned 
the public attention to this section, and finally led to careful botanical 
exploration by a number of capable botanists a few years later. 
Captain Meriwether Lewis* was born near the town of Charlottes- 
ville, Virginia, on August 18, 1774. His family was one of the most 
Fig. 1. Caprain MERIWETE Ek Lewis; from Analectic Mapas 
and Naval Chronicle, Vol. 7, 1816. 
distinguished of that state. Several of his uncles were very prominent 
in their time, one of them having married a sister of George Washing- 
3 Jefferson, Thomas, “ Biography of Capt. Lewis in Analectic Magazine and 
1816. 
Naval ok 7: 329-333 
aul, “ Histo of ne Expedition under the Command of Captains 
Lewis ad ‘Clark,” ete., 1814, reprint by New Amsterdam Book Company. 
