Cadiuallader Colden with Gronovius, Linnceus, §x. 103 



could in no shape continue my botanical amusements. My ad- 

 vanced age, now in the sixty-eighth year of my life, made me 

 think it high time to retire from business, and to indulge the 

 remainder of life in more agreeable pursuits, which require less 

 action than those I formerly engaged in, of which I am become 

 incapable. I am now entirely wrapped up in philosophical 

 amusements, of which perhaps you may see some fruit, if what 

 I have done receive the approbation of those gentlemen to whose 

 judgment it is submitted. * * * But you will perceive by what 

 is inclosed, that botany is not entirely out of my thoughts. 



I thought that botany is an amusement which may be made 

 agreeable to the ladies, who are often at a loss to fill up their 

 time. Their natural curiosity, and the pleasure they take in 

 the beauty and variety of dress, seems to fit them for it. The 

 chief reason that few or none of them have hitherto applied 

 themselves to this study, I believe, is because all the books of 

 any value are wrote in Latin, and so filled with technical words, 

 that the obtaining the necessary previous knowledge is so tire- 

 some and disagreeable, that they are discouraged at the first set- 

 ting out, and give it over before they can receive any pleasure 

 in the pursuit. 



I have a daughter who has an inclination to reading, and a 

 curiosity for natural philosophy or natural history, and a suffi- 

 cient capacity for attaining a competent knowledge. I took the 

 pains to explain Linnasus's system, and to put it in an English 

 form for her use, by freeing it from the technical terms, which 

 was easily done by using two or three words in place of one. 

 She is now grown very fond of the study, and has made such 

 a progress in it as I believe would please you, if you saw her 

 performance. Though perhaps she could not have been per- 

 suaded to learn the terms at first, she now understands in some 

 degree Linnseus's characters, notwithstanding that she does not 

 understand Latin. She has already a pretty large volume in 

 writing, of the description of plants. She was shown a method 

 of taking the impression of the leaves on paper with printer's 

 ink, by a simple kind of rolling press, which is of use in distin- 

 guishing the species. No description in words alone can give so 

 clear an idea, as when assisted with a picture. She has the 

 impression of three hundred plants in the manner you'll see by 

 the samples. That you may have some conception of her per- 



