AGRICULTURAL MUSEUM 2^>» 



ges which they offer to the governments of Europe by 

 cultivating^ thorn. The following is an extract from the 

 prospectus of his work. 



" We know that North Anmerica contains in its vast- 

 forests an immense variety of trees; those in the Uni- 

 ted States alone amount to nearly 150, whilst in Eu- 

 rope, we can scarcely enumerate 40. During my resi- 

 dence in the United States, I sent to the administraliou 

 of France numerous parcels of seeds; and I spent, 

 the greatest part of my time in collecting all the opitiions 

 acquired hy experience, on the qualities of woods, and 

 their different degrees of utility in the arts. I have 

 been obliged also to take many journeys, to acquire 

 a greater number of facts, in order to procure all the 

 desired information. Beginning with the District of 

 Maine, where the winter is as inclement and as lone- as 

 ift Sweden ; I crossed first all the Atlantic states to Geor- 

 gia, where, for half the year, the heat is as intense as in 

 the West-Indies. 1 travelled also more than 1556 kilo- 

 metres, (400 leagues) from the north east to the south- 

 west. 1 performed in different latitudes, five other jour- 

 neys, in the interior of the country : the first, to the 

 source of the river Kennebec ; the second, irom Boston 

 to Lake Champlain ; the third, from New-York to the 

 Lakes Erie and Onlario ; the fourth, from New-York to 

 the borders of the rivers Monongahcla, Alleghany, and 

 Ohio; and the fifth and last, from Charleston in South 

 Carolina to (he sources of the rivers Savanah and Oco- 

 nee. In my fiist journey, along the coast, I stopped 

 in the principal sea ports, in order to visit the ship-yards, 

 and in general all the shops of workers in wood. I 

 made it a point to consult the most skillful native work- 

 men, and more particularly those from Europe, whom 

 I found capable of judging of the respective qualities 

 of the different woods found in the two continents. I 

 shall make known those of America, which are the ob- 

 ject of a considerable commerce between the central, 

 soufcliern, and northern states, and those which are ex» 



