31 



On May 20th, 1755, he writes : 



'' It gives me great pleasure that you give me leave to send Miss 

 Golden 's Description of that new plant to any of my Correspondents 

 as I had before sent it to Dr. Whytt at Edinburgh — By your second 

 letter I find I have very innocently offended Both you and Miss Col- 

 den by some of the expressions that insensibly dropt from my pen 

 as archetypes of what my heart dictated in warm sincerety. This 

 gives me real concern and give me leave to assure you I shall endeav- 

 our as far as in my power to amend anything in my conduct or man- 

 ner of writing that you are kind enough to point out as wrong. I 

 trust that Both you and your Daughter will forgive me for once. I 

 shall be more sparing in saying what .y. think is due to such merit in 

 the future. The Expression which you say gave her most offence, 

 gives me now a great deal of uneasiness as I suspect it has deprived 

 me of the pleasure of a letter from her by last opportunity — It is 

 now past the season of Seeds but I'll endeavour to procure Such as 

 Miss Colden may want this year, tho' my present Business confines 

 me much to Town. — Please offer my compliments to Miss Colden & 

 Family. ' ' 



Another letter and one of the last containing references to 



Miss Colden is the following : 



Charlestown, November 27, 1755. 

 "Sir — Your most obliging fav' of Octo"" last now lyes before me, 

 which came very safe to hand by Schermerhorn as Did the Papers of 

 seeds which your daughter was kind enough to honour me so by his 

 formal trip. I readily confess my neglect in not writing her in re- 

 turn sooner but an affair of Love quite engrossed my thoughts for 

 a season '!== — [and he ends a long somewhat fantastic letter with — ] 

 offer of a kindest compliment to Miss Colden," etc. 



Miss Colden's accompHshments were not all, however, of a 

 botanical nature. Her mother, Mrs. Colden, the daughter of a 

 Scotch minister, is said to have been a distinguished woman and 

 fully able to fill the social position and to discharge the many 

 duties that fell to her lot. In addition to the numerous cares 

 that were imposed on the housewife of the period, Mrs. Colden 

 assisted her husband in the administration of his estate and in 

 the copying of his correspondence, and owing to his political 

 duties and consequent lengthy and frequent absence from home, 

 much of the education of their children must have devolved on 

 her. She is said to have taught them habits of "virtue and 



*The " affair of love " is doubtless an allusion to his approaching marriage, which 

 occurred in Charleston on Christmas Eve, 1755. 



