The American Journal of Science and Arts. 145 



by pirates, his own collections, as well as those of Governor Colden, 

 were mostly destroyed. Linnieus, however, had previously received 

 a few specimens, as, for instance, those on which Froserpinaca, 

 Folypremum, Galax, and some other genera, were founded. 



There were two other American botanists of this period, from 

 whom Linnaeus derived, either directly or indirectly, much informa- 

 tion respecting the plants of this country, viz. John Bartram and 

 Dr. Alexander Garden, of Charleston, S. C. The former collected 

 seeds and living plants for Peter Collinson during more than twenty 

 years, and even at that early day, extended his lal)orious researches 

 from the frontiers of Canada to vSouthern Florida, and to the Mis- 

 sissippi. All his collections were sent to his patron Collinson, until 

 the death of that amiable and simple-hearted man, in 1768; and by 

 him many seeds, living plants, and interesting observations, were 

 communicated to Linnieus, but few, if any, dried specimens. Dr. 

 Garden, who was a native of Scotland, resided at Charleston, S. C, 

 from about 1745 to the commencement of the American revolution, 

 devoting all the time he could redeem from an extensive medical 

 practice, to the zealous pursuit of botany and zoology. His chief 

 correspondent was Ellis, at London, but through Ellis he commenc- 

 ed a correspondence with Linnaeus; and to both he sent manuscript 

 descriptions of new plants and animals, with many excellent critical 

 observations. None of his specimens addressed to the latter, reach- 

 ed their destination, the shi[)s by which they were sent having been 

 intercepted by French cruisers; and Linnseus complained that he 

 was often unable to make out many of Dr. Garden's genera, for 

 want of the plants themselves. Ellis was sometimes more fortunate; 

 but as he seems usually to have contented himself with the trans- 

 mission of descriptions alone, we find no authentic specimens from 

 Garden, in the Linnoean herbarium. 



We have now probably mentioned all the North American cor- 

 respondents of Linnaeus; for Dr. Kuhn, who appears only to have 

 brought him living specimens of the plant which bears his name, and 

 Catesby, who shortly before his death sent a few living plants which 

 his friend Lawson had collected in Carolina, can scarcely be reckon- 

 ed among the number. 



The Linnasan Society also possesses the proper herbarium of its 

 founder and first president, Sir James E. Smith, which is a beautiful 

 collection, and in excellent preservation. The specimens are at- 

 tached to fine and strong paper, after the method now common in 

 England. In North American botany, the chief contributors are 

 Menzies, for the plants of California and the North West Coast; 

 and Muhlenberg, Bigelow, Torrey, and Boott, for those of the 

 United States. Here, also, we find the cryptogamic collections of 

 Acharius, containing the authentic specimens described in his 

 works on the Lichens, and the magnificent East Indian herbarium 

 of Wallichj presented some years since by the East India Com- 

 pany. 



The collection of the British Museum, embracing that of 

 Sir Joseph Banks, is next noted, and as scarcely inferior in 

 importance to the Linnsean herbarium itself. That of Sir Jo- 

 seph Banks is probably one of the oldest, prepared in the 



VOL. VII. NO. IV. 19 



