140 Lives of Mr. JViUiain remon, 



Mr. William Vernon, fellow of St. Peter's-Col- 

 lege, Cambridge, and Dr. David Krieg, are the per- 

 sons to whom I allude. They resided in Maryland for 

 some time, how long I have not ascertained, and returned 

 to Europe, "after having collected an Herbarium of seve- 

 ral hundred new and undescribed plants." This collec- 

 tion, like that of Banister, came into the possession of 

 Sir Hans Sloane, who was a kind of general depot of the 

 botanical treasures of the time. Through the liberal 

 communication of the British physician and naturalist, 

 the names, &,c,, of the plants were inserted in the Sup- 

 plement to Mr. Ray's History. 



Mr. Vernon appears to Iiave been something more 

 than a mere collector. Mr. Ray, who was, indeed, 

 on all occasions, fond of rendering praise where it is due, 

 speaks of him as a man both skilful and assiduous in 

 tlie pursuit of the plants of his native country, and even 

 mentions him as respectable for his knowledge of all tlie 

 branches of natural histor}-, besides botany. His disco- 

 veries in the vast, the difficult, and obscure class of 

 Cryptogomia are said to have been numerous. 



Schreber has consecrated to Vernon a fine genus of 

 plants, belonging to the great class of Syngcnesia. Of 

 tiiis genus (Vernonia) there are several species in the 

 United- States. The Scrratula prsealta, and the Serratula 

 noveboracensis of Linnasus are referred to this genus by 

 Mr. Michaux*, who calls them Vernonia prsealta, and 

 Vernonia noveboracensis. 



• Flora Boreali-Americana. Tom. II. p. 9.";. 



