174 



countrymen during cight-and-twenty years past, 

 and at present Linnaeus is no stranger to the in- 

 habitants of these " ends of the earth." 



As I was the first who gave lectures on natural 

 history in America, I was obliged to give it the 

 popular dres9 which " The Botanist " comes forth 

 in. I wa9 compelled to clear the ground to pre- 

 pare it before I sowed the seed. I found I must 

 first excite a taste, and then try to gratify it. Our 

 elder brethren in Europe know not the difficulties 

 that the first settlers in science have to encounter. 

 I found it particularly difficult when I first gave 

 lectures on mineralogy to persons who had per- 

 haps never seen a book upon that subject. This 

 will account for the popular dress in which bo- 

 tany has been presented to the youth of both sexes 

 in this country, and it will explain why I tried to 

 celebrate certain female characters who had distin- 

 guished themselves in natural history. I hope to 

 send you hereafter some paintings of plants and 

 insects, executed by some of our ladies, that Marian 

 herself would not be disgusted at. Natural history 

 will flourish among us, although we may not pro- 

 duce a Linnaeus or a BufFon. I observe among us 

 young Swammerdams, young naturalists on whom 

 Fate has written " Laadatur ct algetT 



My bookseller already talks of a new edition of 

 " The Botanist ;" but before I determine on that, 

 I should like to profit by the criticisms of such a 

 great master in the science as Dr. Smith. 



My wish is to open such a path in the field of 



