xni CHARACTER OF BARTRAM 171 



Bartram's garden was kept up by his sons for many 

 years, especially by William Bartram, who will be 

 mentioned again. Later it was neglected, but was at 

 length in 1884 acquired by the city of Philadelphia, and 

 enlarged to form a public park. It is situated on the 

 west bank of the Schuylkill, below the city, and not far 

 from the junction with the Delaware. Here is still to 

 be seen the large stone house built by Bartram himself 

 in 1731, with the lines cut over the front window of his 

 study : 



IT IS GOD ALONE, ALMYTY LORD, 

 THE HOLY ONE BY ME ADOR'D, 

 JOHN BARTRAM 1770. 



Another stone is inscribed " 0EO2 SnZfl. JOHN. 

 ANN. BARTRAM. 1731." Near one corner of the 

 house stands a pear tree raised from seed sent by Lady 

 Petre about the year 1750 ; it still bears fruit after 150 

 years. Some fine examples of box are also probably 

 of Bartram's planting, but his tall deciduous cypress is 

 sere and lifeless. 



We may take leave of Bartram with a few lines from 

 one of his letters on the beauties of flowers. " What 

 charming colours appear hi the various tribes ! What 

 a glow is enkindled in some ! What a gloss shines in 

 others ! With what a masterly skill is every one of the 

 varying tints disposed ! Here they seem to be thrown 

 on with an easy freedom, there they are adjusted with 

 the nicest touches. Some are intersected with elegant 

 stripes, or studded with radiant spots ; others affect to 

 be genteelly powdered, or neatly fringed. Some are 

 arra^^ed in purple ; some charm with the virgin's white ; 

 others are dashed with crimson ; while others are robed 

 in scarlet. Some glitter like silver lace ; others shine 

 as if embroidered with gold." * 



1 Darlington, op. cit. p. 398. In this work many of Collinson's and 

 Bartram's letters are printed ; others in MS., with his Will (1772) and In- 

 ventory of his effects, are at the Pennsylvania Historical Society ; other 

 letters are at the Ridgway Branch of the Library Co. of Philadelphia, and 

 in the British Museum. A letter to Gronovius, 1745, is in Fds. Ref. Lib. ; 

 also copy of another, 1751, describing a deep stony pass in the Blue Mountains. 

 Bartram contributed preface, notes and an appendix to Dr. T. Short's Medicina 



