1745.1 PETER COLLIN SON. 173 



December, 1744. 



Dear Peter : 



I have received thy kind letters of April the 9th, 19th, and 24th, 

 with all the books mentioned in those letters, very safe and in good 

 order. 



The Sesamum seed, which I intend to try to propagate, and give 

 thee an account of my success, I am afraid our summers will be 

 full short. * * * Our friend Doctor Colden hath 

 been this fall at my house, whom I received with much satisfaction. 

 Also Doctor Mitchell, who stayed at Philadelphia near three 

 weeks, and made me several visits. He is a man of good parts, 

 but his constitution is miserably broken. I correspond very freely 

 with him and Clayton. 



* I have put two or three handsful of the seeds of a 



climbing species of Euonymus \_Celastrus scandens, L.], which 

 Mitchell said thee wanted very much. Its berries make a fine 

 appearance, in the fall. It twists about the trees, or poles, like 

 hops. * * * * 



December 10th, 1745. 



Friend Peter : 



I have put on board Captain Mesnard, one long cedar box con- 

 taining a Hornet's nest, and a variety of seeds, for thee ; and a 

 box of curiosities and Musk-rat skin for Gronovius, which I hope 

 thee will take care to send him, as soon and safe as possible. * * 

 * * * I have sent, by the two last ships to London, five 

 boxes in each ship ; three in each of forest seeds, for those gen- 

 tlemen thee sent me orders from ; and a box with roots in earth 

 for thee in one ship in the other a long cedar box with a variety 

 of seeds for thyself, and some curiosities for Sir Hans Sloane and 

 for thee. I have sent, also, two quarters of Hickory, and a square 

 box of plants in earth, viz., one root of my great Mountain Mag- 

 nolia several roots of Papaw, one fine root of our Laurel, full of 

 flower buds, one sod of sweet Persian Iris, one sod of the fine 

 creeping spring Lychnis, and a sod of what you call Dracocephalum. 

 Pray give Catesby one root of Papaw. I sent several in our last 

 ship. 



