136 .VOTES AND 



From information which has recently reached me, I am persuaded, that our 

 dutch ancestors paid more attention to the improvement and natural history of 

 the country, than has been generally imagined. We are, as yet, greatly in the 

 dark with respect to events and observations during their occupancy of New 

 Netherland, as they termed their country ; but the means of information are 

 amply within our reach. Dn Loart wrote a book respecting it, wherein he 

 gives a very particular account of the indians ; and Megapolensis, an eminent 

 dutch minister, who formerly lived in this city, also published a work on this 

 country when a dutch province; and I have now before me a manuscript trans 

 lation made by the rev. dr. Bassett, of dr. Van der Donk's History of New 

 Ncthrrland, published in 1653. It is very interesting, and it is to be hoped, 

 that that^worthy gentleman will meet with sufficient encouragement to publish 

 it, and also correct translation of De Laert and Megapolensis, for which nc- 

 man in this country is better qualified. Van der Donk states, that a certain 

 surgeon, a resident of New Netherland, had formed an extensive botanical 

 garden, in which he planted many medical roots, which he cultivated from tlu: 

 woods adjacent to his abode; but by the removal of that worthy gentleman 

 from the country, his humane and patriotic exertions were lost to the world. 

 This, I undertake to say, was the first botanical garden established in this pan 

 of America. It appear?, also, from this work, that most of the medicinal and 

 other herbs, with which the country abounds, were known to our dutch forefath 

 rrs ; that they took uncommon pains to introduce the best cereal grainina, legu- 

 mens, and excellent vegetables, and fruit of various kinds, and have even culti 

 vated canary seed ; that they introduced the white and red, the cornelian ami 

 stock roses, wall flowers, tulips, imperial flowers, the white lily, and lily of the 

 valley, ladies' rose, violet, and gold flower, and that the country abounded 

 with flowers peculiar to it, of the most beautiful kind, to whi."h the european 

 \TCS an entire stranger ; viz. the sunflower, the red and yellow lily, the morning 

 glory, the white, yellow, and red marygold, a species of wild eglantine, the 

 different kinds of the bell flower, and many others. 



Our dutch ancestors also turned their attention to improving the dyes of the 

 r.omitry: great hopes were entertained from the wild indigo ; and they not only 

 supposed that the common indigo mi L;ht be raised to great advantage, but they 

 actually tried the experiment. Seed was imported from Holland. The firs: 

 attempt failed, owing, as it was supposed, to an extraordinary drought which 

 prevented the plant from coming to -maturity : but -another experiment complete- 

 ly succeeded the seed wan sown near New Amsterdam, (New-York,) and a 

 great crop was obtained ; specimens were sent to the mother country, where 

 good judges pronounced it of a superior quality. But what is still more extraor- 

 dinary is, tharthere is reasort to !v!love 'hat it was rontomv'bVil 1 in'mdiKv- 



