OF JOHN BARTRAM. 41 



naturalist for the King of England,* for exploring the provinces, 

 he received his orders to search for the sources of the great River 

 San Juan [or St. John's]. 



" Leaving ,St. Augustine, he travelled by land to the banks of 

 the river, and embarking in a boat at Picolata, ascended that 

 great and beautiful river (near 400 miles) to its sources attending 

 carefully to its various branches, and the lakes connected with it. 

 Having ascended on one side of the river, he descended by the 

 other side to its confluence with the sea. 



" In the course of this voyage or journey, he made an accurate 

 draft and survey of the various widths, depths, courses, and dis- 

 tances, both of the main stream, and of the lakes and branches. 

 He also noted the situation and quality of the soil, the vegetable 

 and animal productions, together with other interesting observa- 

 tions ; all of which were highly approved of by the Governor, and 

 sent to the Board of Trade and Plantations in England, by whose 

 direction they were ordered to be published, for the benefit of the 

 new colony. 



"Mr. Bartram was a man of modest and gentle manners, 

 frank, cheerful, and of great good nature ; a lover of justice, truth, 

 and charity. He was himself an example of filial, conjugal, and 

 parental affection. His humanity, gentleness, and compassion were 

 manifested upon all occasions, and were even extended to the 

 animal creation. He was never known to have been at enmity 

 with any man. During the whole course of his life, there was not 

 a single instance of his engaging in a litigious contest with any 

 of his neighbours, or others. He zealously testified against 

 slavery ;f and, that his philanthropic precepts, on this subject, 



In a letter to John Ellis, March 25, 1755, Dr. Garden says " When we came 

 to Philadelphia, I met with John Bartram, a plain Quaker, but a most accurate 

 observer of nature." Writing again to Mr. Ellis, March 21, 1760, Dr. G. says 

 My worthy and kind friend John Bartram came from Philadelphia here 

 [Charleston, S. C] to see me, about eight days ago." And on March 25, adds 

 " I have been lately in the woods for two hours with John, and have shown him 

 most of our new things, with which he seems almost ravished of his senses, and 

 lost in astonishment." 



* See Peter Collinson's Letters, from April 9 to November 13, 1765, in reference 

 to this appointment; which seems to have been procured by the "repeated solici- 

 tations" of that faithful friend. 



f Evidences of the zeal and earnestness of John Bartram, in opposition to the 

 fearful curse of slavery, are still extant among his manuscript papers. He ap- 

 pears to have been among the earliest of our people in denouncing the abomi- 

 nation ; and, moreover, to have been in the habit of committing his sentiments 

 to paper, on that and all other subjects, with equal fervour and freedom. 



