xiv HIS PLANT COLLECTORS ABROAD 185 



and other of the East Indies, the West Indies, Siberia and 

 the newly discovered islands. He employed collectors to 

 explore for him the forests and valleys of North America, 

 and sent one such, William Brass, jointly with the Earl 

 of Tankerville, Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. William Pitcairn 

 into West Africa. 1 In conjunction too with Dr. Pitcairn, 

 who had a fine botanical garden of five acres extent at 

 Islington (in Upper Street, opposite the end of Cross 

 Street), he commissioned an able collector, Archibald 

 Menzies, to search in 1775 the Alps of Central Europe 

 for new flowers. ' Jusqu'ici," says his French eulogist, 

 " ces grands traits de generosite avaient etc reserves pour 

 honorer 1'histoire des souverains." 



Some fuller account must here be given of his American 

 collectors. He came to know John Bartram through 

 Collinson, and often corresponded with him, although 

 Fothergill's busy habits left his friend's letters long 

 unacknowledged. From Bartram he received many 

 plants for his garden as well as objects for his museum. 

 Bartram had a son, a botanist like his father, and clever 

 with his pencil, by name William Bartram. Before 

 Collinson died he was able to afford to the son of his 

 old friend two valuable introductions. The Duchess of 

 Portland, a young lady who inherited her scientific tastes 

 from the talented houses of Cavendish and Boyle, was 

 dining with Collinson one day, when he showed her young 

 Bartram's drawings. She offered him twenty guineas 

 to make her some more, and proposed further employment 

 for his skill. About the same time Collinson put the 

 drawings before Fothergill, who admired them much, 

 and gave him a commission for a series of pictures of 

 land, river and sea shells, and of tortoises, with notes on 

 each. " Set all thy wits and ingenuity to work," wrote 

 Collinson to the young naturalist, " to gratify such a 

 patron, eminent for his generosity and his noble spirit to 

 promote every branch of natural history." 



1 William Brass collected 250 species of plants at Cape Coast : his specimens 

 are at the British Museum. See Britten and Boulger, op. cit. A genus of 

 orchids was named Brassia by R. Brown in his honour. Four of his letters 

 are in the Kew Library. 



