xni COLLINSON THE QUAKER NATURALIST 159 



of the original Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries on 

 its being incorporated in 1751 ; he read a paper before the 

 latter society in 1763, on the Round Tower at Ardmore, 

 with some account of others in Ireland, and a plate. His 

 business made him acquainted with many persons in the 

 American provinces, from New England to Carolina. He 

 was intimate with Franklin, and corresponded with him, 

 not only on scientific subjects, but on many others ; using 

 also his own influence with Thomas Penn, the proprietary 

 of Pennsylvania, whose cordial friendship he enjoyed, 

 to further Franklin's plans for advancing education and 

 culture in that province. Collinson on his part sought 

 the good offices of his colonial friends in sending him new 

 and rare plants or seeds, but at first with little success. 

 Mark Catesby had already shown how rich was the new 

 continent in trees and shrubs, and after his return from 

 his travels in 1726, he was aided by loans of money from 

 Collinson to publish his monumental work, the Natural 

 History of Carolina. At length Collinson heard of John 

 Bartram, who undertook to supply what he wanted. 

 Something must now be said of Bartram, who became 

 one of the most eminent naturalists of America. 



John Bartram was a Quaker farmer, born in 1699, and 

 living near Philadelphia. A self-taught man, he was 

 inclined to the study of physic ; but musing upon the 

 works of nature as he followed the plough his mind was 

 seized with the thought of the wonders of vegetable life. 

 He began to watch the flowers, to compare them, and to 

 learn all he could about them. Soon after 1728 he laid 

 out a botanic garden of five acres extent, afterwards 

 called Kingsessing, where he cultivated many native and 

 exotic plants. He travelled as often as he could in search 

 of new trees and herbs, and made collections of the 

 objects found. A mutual friend about the year 1733 

 sent some of these to Collinson, and this led to an intimate 

 friendship between the two men, and the frequent inter- 

 change of letters for they never met during the space 

 of thirty-five years. Many of the letters have been 

 published, and they give us a picture of two keen inquiring 



