Foreigti Notices. — North America. 153 



tute. And, Sir, so respectable are the gentlemen of the profession generally, 

 that I know no one base enough, except a stripling, scarce emerged from 

 boyhood, with whom I never have had any association, and who has never, 

 to my knowledge, visited my gardens but twice for a few minutes, the last 

 time of which was about four years ago ; and, Sir, this stripling, whom I 

 suppose to be the author, could not, without a miracle, remember the fif- 

 teen years back he speaks of. And what will you think when I tell you, 

 that neither he, nor the nursery he professes to represent, have ever received 

 any such order from me, as the one he mentions of 300 species of plants. 

 The purchases of D. and C. Landreth, for the last twenty-five years, have 

 not averaged one dollar per year ; and so far from their having 40 acres in 

 nurseries, a nephew, who is connected with them, acknowledged the last 

 autumn, in the presence of Mr. George C. Thorburn of New York, that 

 but about one fourth of that space was thus occupied. If, Sir, you will take 

 the pains to reperuse the two passages of the letter above referred to, you 

 will find they are penned for evasion. 



As there still seems a great want of information in Europe with regard 

 to this country, it would be better that those interested in horticulture 

 should send a deputation here, to pronounce upon the extent and merits 

 of the different establishments, and upon the advances made in the depart- 

 ments of botany and horticulture ; and I will pay 100 dollars, or 22/. lO^., 

 towards their expenses from my own pocket. 



I have only further to add, that my establishment stands on its own basis 

 alone, and that, unaided by any other, it fulfils the immense orders it re- 

 ceives ; some idea of which may be formed by the circumstance of its having 

 near one hundred agencies in different sections of our country, one of which 

 is unfortunately located at Philadelphia, and the actual expenses of the 

 establishment for the past year having exceeded 18,000 dollars, or 4000/. 

 sterling. To conclude; all I have further to ask is, that you will render 

 me that justice to which I am entitled, and that you will make known to 

 me the author of the letter referred to. [We could give the signature 

 of the person without any breach of confidence, but would rather wish 

 to promote peace than ill-will.] Yours, respectfully, — William Prince. 

 March 15. 1828. 



Copy of a Letter from Samuel L. Mitchill, M.D. LL.D., Professor of Bo- 

 tany and Materia Medica in the University, late President of the State 

 and County Medical Societies of New York, Representative and Senator 

 in Congress, Surgeon-General of the Militia, and President of the Lyceum 

 of Natural History, &c., to William Prince. Dated New York City, 

 Feb. 20. 1828. 



Dear Sir, I am soi'ry to learn, by a communication from your son, 

 received this day, that an anonymous writer had caused to be inserted in 

 the Gardener's Magazine of London, a composition, undervaluing the 

 Linnean Garden, of which you are the proprietor, and contradicting some 

 of the statements in your catalogue. It seems to me, you give the publi- 

 cation of that letter more importance than it deserves ; and, from its tenor, 

 feel more solicitude than the occasion requires. The paper seems to have 

 been written by one who styles himself a fellow-labourer, and who is a 

 little envious of your reputation and success ; such rivalships are by no 

 means uncommon. I would make no formal answer to it in the Magazine; 

 the regular course, in my opinion, is to meet all the attacks of the adver- 

 sary in the next edition of the catalogue, and to prefix as circumstantial an 

 account of your establishment as the case may require. It seems to me 

 that nameless scribblers are not likely to do you much harm. I have 

 been for several years, from time to time, a visiter of the Linnean Gar- 

 den ; I have been uniformly gratified by the vegetable exhibitions, and 

 the information I obtained. The accession of articles is so frequent, that 



