266 JOHN BARTRAM TO [1764. 



September 23d, 1764. 



Dear Peter : 



I received thy kind letter of June the 80th, with the Strawberry- 

 seed. The Commelyna I wrote to thee about many years past, 

 presently after I found it. * * My neighbour 



Young's sudden preferment has astonished great part of our 

 inhabitants. They are daily talking to me about him, that he has 

 got more honour by a few miles' travelling to pick up a few common 

 plants, than I have by near thirty years' travel, with great danger 

 and peril. It is shocking, the plants you have had, many of them 

 known a hundred years, and most twenty or thirty, should be 

 esteemed at court as new discoveries. Several of my friends put 

 me upon sending my new discovered specimens to the King, to try 

 my success. Accordingly I have put up a little box of such speci- 

 mens as I am sure he never found, and I believe never came to 

 England, before I sent them. The box I sent to thy care, with a 

 letter to the king, under cover to thee, which pray deliver to his 

 Majesty ; or if thee hath not freedom to do it, pray deliver it to 

 Dr. Pringle, whom Benjamin Franklin promises to acquaint 

 with the whole affair. * * * * 



If I should be appointed, by authority or private subscription, to 

 travel through Florida or the Illinois, I am too old to go alone, 

 and I think my son William will be a fit person to accompany me, 

 as he by this time, I believe, can draw well. 



There is a subscription set on foot at Edinburgh, to enable a 

 person to send them plants and seeds for their new Public Garden. 

 They wrote to Benjamin to see if I would undertake it, which I 

 did ; but how it goes on, I can't say. But I can't expect to be 

 able many years to perform such a journey. I should spend a 

 whole year there, to make full discoveries. Hitherto, I have 

 travelled at my own expense, except to Onondago ; so was obliged 

 to make haste home. 



October the 15th, 17G4. 



Dear Peter: 



I received thy kind letter of July the 30th, 1764, with the 

 seeds, which were very acceptable ; since which, Captain Falconer 



