1754.] JOURNEY TO KATSKILL. 195 



people take to Goshen. I took this road, to show my son the bro- 

 ken, mountainous, desolate part of the country ; where we took 

 the first particular notice of the Alder with a silver colour on the 

 under side of the leaf [Alnus incana, Willd.], which is plentiful in 

 this part of the country. On the branches of the North River, I 

 saw it plentifully in my first journey ; but took no particular notice 

 of it, but its largeness. It grows fifteen or twenty feet high, and 

 four inches diameter ; whereas ours grows about two. As we came 

 down the mountain, on a sunny, rich bank, I found many roots of 

 this Wild Lovage, and brought seed to sow in my garden, after 

 despairing fifteen years of ever seeing it again. At last we came 

 to a little cottage, one hour by sun, and ordered our horses to pas- 

 ture. Our host said there was the strangest plants growed on his 

 land, that growed anywhere in the country. We went directly ; 

 but they all proved to be but common plants to me, though, 

 indeed, there were such as did not grow amongst the inhabitants. 



At night, we lodged seven or eight of us (they being two fami- 

 lies) in the hut, hardly big enough for a hen-roost I and Billy 

 on the ground after a piece of a musty supper. Slept but little 

 in this lousy hut, which we left, as soon as we could well see our 

 path, in the morning, having paid him half a crown, which he 

 charged, and reached Dr. Coldex's by noon. Got our dinner, 

 and set out to gather seeds, and did not get back till two hours 

 within night ; then looked over some of the Doctor's daughter's 

 botanical, curious observations. Next morning, as soon as I could 

 see, we hunted plants till breakfast : then the Doctor's son went 

 with me to Doctor Jones's, where we observed the Pines, on a 

 hio;h hill near the Doctor's. After dinner, we went to the river to 

 gather Arbor Vitce seeds ; then returned to Dr. Colden's by two 

 hours within night. In the morning, gathered seeds till break- 

 fast. These two days I could have refreshed myself finely, if the 

 Doctor had been at home, or durst have eaten freely of what was 

 set before me ; for they all were very kind. 



July, 1754. 



Dear Peter : 



* * I have examined Hill, now, pretty well, and am very 

 well pleased that I have got him, although it be very far from 

 being exact, true, or fully intelligible : on the contrary, he hath 



