ALEXANDER GARDEN 6 1 



turned to Charleston in 1752 ;but went for a while 

 before this as professor at King's (afterwards 

 Columbia) College, New York. Returning to 

 Charleston, he began a successful practice. 1 

 Glimpses of his life at this time are given in his 

 letters, one of which is to John Bartram, the 

 botanist: " Think that I am here, confined to the 

 sandy streets of Charleston, where the ox, where 

 the ass, and where man, as stupid as either, fill 

 up the vacant space, while you range the green 

 fields of Florida." 



Not one in a thousand knows after whom the 

 genus Gardenia was named, so I quote a letter 

 from Linnaeus to John Ellis, 2 the botanist 

 ( 1760) , in which he says : 



" I had given the name of Gardenia to an en- 

 tirely new and very singular genus, the Catti ma- 

 rus of Rumphius, Amboin, v. z. 177, t. 113, in 

 order so far to conform to your wishes. But as 

 you still persist in your decision, that the Jasmine 

 so often mentioned between us should be called 

 Gardenia, I will comply, though I cannot but 

 foresee that this measure will be exposed to much 

 censure. I find it impossible to deny you any- 

 thing. All that I beg of you, my dear friend, is, 

 that you would publish the genus and its char- 

 acter in some loose sheet, or some periodical 



1 Some biographers say he declined the invitation to King's College. 



2 Correspondence of Linnaeus, vol. i, p. 135. 



