1764.1 T0 JOHN BARTRAM. 261 



It is with concern I hear of the insurrection at Pittsburg. In 

 such a hurry, I don't wonder the curious things suffered. The 

 loss of the alligator is most to be regretted, if it is an alligator, 

 which I much doubt, as these animals have never been found 

 in such cold latitudes ; but few in North Carolina, and none ever 

 heard of in Virginia. * 



I must defer answering thy kind letter of November 11th, being 

 much engaged packing goods for your country I mean Virginia 

 and Maryland, and am thy sincere friend, 



P. Collixson. 



Pray hast thou got trees in thy garden of that odd kind of 

 Hazel nut, that was found in the forks of Schuylkill, beyond the 

 Blue Mountains, of which there was plenty ? It seems a different 

 species from the Cuckold's nut, which I take to be your common 

 sort [?] ; but the Schuylkill nut is very different. * 



JOHN BARTRAM TO P. COLLINSON. 



March 4th, 1764. 



Dear Peter : 



* * * * My true correspondent, Mrs. Logan, 

 hath lately sent me two bulbous roots, of what she calls a white 

 Iris, which she had from Georgia, which I hope will be a fine 

 curiosity, with several other seeds and roots. * My 

 John is a worthy, sober, industrious son, and delights in plants ; 

 but I doubt Will will be ruined in Carolina. Everything goes- 

 wrong with him there. 



Pray give my respects to the worthy Dr. Solander. I hope 

 you have examined the specimens I sent by Captain Budden. 



* * I think our Indians received a full value for that 

 cheating walk, and pretended to be fully satisfied with what they 

 received above the first agreement ; and as for Pittsburg, they let 

 the French settle and build there ; then why may not the English, 

 after they had drove the French out, keep possession of it ? And 

 as the Indians have committed such barbarous destruction on our 

 people, we have more reason to destroy them and possess their 

 land than you have to keep Canada. And must all our provinces 

 suffer a prodigious yearly expense, and have thousands of our inno- 

 cent people barbarously murdered, because some of our traders 

 made them drunk, to get a skin cheap, or an Irishman settles on 



