Cadwallader Colden with Peter Collinson^ fyc. 133 



rocks, &c, that I forgot I was hungry till we landed in his house 

 about four miles from town. There was no parting with him 

 for two days, during which time I breakfasted, dined and supped, 

 slept, and was regaled on botany and mineralogy, in which he 

 has some excellent notions and grand thoughts. His garden is 

 a perfect portraiture of himself; here you meet with a row of 

 rare plants almost covered over with weeds, here with a beautiful 

 shrub, even luxuriant amongst briars, and in another corner an 

 elegant and lofty tree lost in common thicket. On our way 

 from town to his house, he carried me to several rocks and dens, 

 where he showed me some of his rare plants, which he had 

 brought from the mountains, &c. In a word, he disdains to 

 have a garden less than Pennsylvania, and every den is an arbor, 

 every run of water a canal, and every small level spot a parterre, 

 where he nurses up some of his idol flowers, and cultivates his 

 darling productions. He had many plants whose names he did 

 not know, most or all of which 1 had seen and knew them ; on 

 the other hand, he had several I had not seen, and some I never 

 heard of. To-night I shall pay him a visit along with a Jamaica 

 doctor ; we set away after dinner, and design to remain all night 

 with him. 



I shall be glad to hear of Miss Colden's improvements, which 



no doubt increase every day, arid may we again be surprised 

 with more than a Datier, even in America. Messrs. Wragg and 

 Cleland left this place last Monday; we shall leave it in ten days. 

 I shall expect the favor of a line from you soon, by the time I 

 get to Charleston. I beg leave to offer my compliments to Mrs. 

 Colden and your good family, and remain with great esteem, 

 honored sir, your most obliged and very humble servant, 



A. Alexander Garden. 



Dr. Colden was appointed lieutenant governor of New York in 

 1761 ; and performed the duties of governor for a great part of 

 the time, until 1775, when by the return of Governor Tryon, he 

 was relieved from official cares. He then retired to a seat on 

 Long Island, where he died on the 28th of September, in the 

 89th year of his age. " For the great variety and extent of his 

 learning, his unwearied research, his talents, and the public 

 sphere which he filled. Cadwallader Colden may be justly placed 

 , in a high rank among the distinguished men of his time." 



