JOHN CLAYTON 47 



will return thither in the course of a year, that 

 he may visit those mountains and let me know 

 whether the same plants are found there as in 

 Europe." 



But Gronovius of Leyden," writing to Richard 

 Richardson,* an English botanist, in 1738, says: 



" I now send you all the rest of Linnaeus' 

 works, in which you will find great learning and 

 many curious remarks. Most of your triflers in 

 Botany dislike his method, and particularly his 

 Gritica, because they do not understand him. . . . 

 I assure you, Sir, it was by his principles alone 

 that I could reduce several of your Virginian 

 plants to their proper Genus, as you will see in the 

 Flora Virginica. This work will go to press as 

 soon as the Hortus Cliff ortianus is published, 

 which I expect every day." 



Laurence Gronovius gave the name of Clay- 

 tonia to a genus of perennial plants of which the 

 Claytonia Virglnica is popularly known as the 

 " Spring Beauty," on account of its early ap- 

 pearance. 



I do not know whether Clayton hoped, like 

 old Dr. Garden, that he could roam over celestial 

 fields in search of specimens, but he departed this 

 life the i^th of December, 1773, happy in the 

 thought that two volumes of botany notes would 



8 John F. Gronovius, M. D., 1690-1762. 

 8 Richard Richardson, 1663-1741 (Richardsonia, Linn.) 

 6 



