JOHN BARTRAM AND WILLIAM BARTRAM. 37 



often expressed the wish that he might not live to be helpless. 

 This desire was gratified, for he died after only a short illness. 



No picture of him is known to exist. In regard to his phys- 

 ical appearance William states : " His stature was rather above 

 the middle size, and upright. His visage was long, and his 

 countenance expressive of a degree of dignity with a happy 

 mixture of animation and sensibility." Concerning Bartram's 

 ability as a naturalist there are enthusiastic opinions extant 

 in letters by Franklin, Collinson, Golden, and others well quali- 

 fied to judge. 



William Bartram, after the death of his father, continued in 

 the pursuit of natural history. The Botanic Garden was in- 

 herited by his brother John, who took William into a partner- 

 ship which lasted many years. After this arrangement termi- 

 nated, William continued to assist his brother till the death 

 of the latter, in 1812. The garden then descended to John's 

 daughter Anne, the wife of Colonel Robert Carr, in whose 

 family William resided from that time until his death. He 

 was never married. In 1782 William Bartram was elected 

 Professor of Botany in the University of Pennsylvania, but 

 declined the position on account of ill health. He became a 

 member of the American Philosophical Society in 1786, and 

 was elected to other learned societies in both Europe and 

 America. He was an ingenious mechanic, and, as before inti- 

 mated, was skilful in drawing and painting. Most of the illus- 

 trations in Prof. Barton's Elements of Botany were from 

 his drawings. His botanical labours brought to light many 

 interesting plants not previously known. But this was not 

 his only field. He made the most complete and correct list of 

 American birds before Wilson's Ornithology, and, in fact, his 

 encouragement and assistance were largely instrumental in 

 making that work possible. Among William Bartram's scien- 

 tific correspondents were the Rev. Henry Muhlenberg and F. 

 A. Michaux, to whom he furnished seeds. A manuscript diary 

 kept by him, which was presented to the Academy of Natu- 

 ral Sciences of Philadelphia in 1885, by Mr. Thomas Meehan, 

 is rich in ornithological, botanical, and meteorological notes, 

 also records of personal experiences, all of which are of great 

 interest. His death occurred suddenly from the rupture of a 

 blood vessel in the lungs, July 22, 1823, in the eighty-fifth year 

 of his age. Besides his Travels, William Bartram was the 



