Biography of F. A, Michaux. 173 



Wlien living in Baltimore from 1816 to 1824, I formed an 

 intimacy writh a French gentleman of the name of Leroy, wha 

 had known Michaux in this country, and had been since in cor- 

 respondence with him. This Mr. Leroy, who was himself an 

 excellent arboriculturist, having been earnestly solicited by his 

 friend to send him all the seeds and young trees which he could 

 rocure in the vicinity of Baltimore, applied to me, as a fellow 

 otanist, to assist him in this undertaking. We, therefore, went 

 I to work together in earnest, daring the autumn of 1819, ram- 



bling into the woods with a negro boy, climbing and beatin 

 Oaks, Maples, and Hickory trees; uprooting the sTirubs an 

 young trees that fell in our way, and collecting seeds of every 

 sort. The result of our campaign filled up several large boxes 

 which were forwarded to Michaux, in the early part of the 

 winter. 



"When I visited Europe in 1824, Mr. Leroy favored me wnth a 

 letter of introduction to his friend, recommending me as his co- 

 laborer in the collections which had been forwarded to him from 

 Baltimore, some years previous. This letter did not fail insuring 

 to me a hearty welcome at the hands of Mr. Michaux. I saw 

 him frequently, and breakfisted with him at his winter quarters 

 in Paris, on the place St. Michael, which was tlien a market for 

 garden vegetables and fruits. We seldom sat at the breakfast 

 table, without having previously taken an inspection round 

 through the stalls Avhere fruits and vegetables were sold, and he 

 was pleased to point out to me the rarest and most beautiful 

 with a passing notice on their origin. 



Mr. Michaux w^as extremely desirous to show me, in detail, 

 his fine nurseries, especially those which contained his Maryland 

 trees, to ^^ contemplate^^ the result of the troubles and fatigues 

 which they had cost me, but the weather was so unfavorable, 

 during the whole season, that I could visit but one of them, 

 which I found wholly planted w4th Maryland Oaks, and cover- 

 ing an extensive plot of ground. Though the youn^ trees, then 

 devoid of their foliage, had suffered much, the second year, from 

 the depredations of a herd of swine that had trespassed upon 

 these grounds, they still appeared vigorous and j)romising, and 

 ^'ire, I suspect, the very same trees that are now (as I see by the 

 Paris papers) adorning the Quai des Tuilleries, and some of the 

 new Boulevards of the French metropoHs, under the denomina- 

 tion of American Oaks thirty-six years old. 



In acknowledgment of the service I liad thus rendered him, 

 ^Ir, Michaux presented me with a copy of the French edition of 

 his magnificent work, beautifully bound in three volumes, and 

 containing a double set of plates, the plain and colored. 



Mr. Michaux's person was tall, strongly built; but not corpu- 

 lent. His complexion was fair; he w^as slightly pock-marked, 



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