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Brackenridge’s modesty was so excessive that he could never 
be induced to furnish biographical information to those who 
sought to secure it directly from him as the most authoritative 
source, and the world is indebted to the late Thomas Meehan for 
the preservation of not a few of the facts of this interesting career. 
Meehan published an account of Brackenridge, with a portrait, 
in the number of his Gardeners’ Monthly for December, 1884, 
and recorded his death in the number of Meehan’s Monthly 
for March, 1893. Some interesting references to Brackenridge’s 
activities during his residence in Washington during the years 
1842-55 may be found in Rathbun’s account of the Columbian 
Institute, in Bulletin to1 of the United States National Museum. 
An extended discussion of the publications of the Wilkes Expedi- 
tion, by F. S. Collins, appeared in Rhodora for April, 1912. 
The published narrative of the expedition enables one to trace 
Brackenridge’s movements, more or less accurately, during the 
cruise; but, for the earlier part of the voyage, the second volume of 
Pickering’s “Geographical distribution of animals and plants”’ 
is even more valuable, as Brackenridge was with Pickering on 
ship-board, and accompanied him on nearly every trip ashore. 
It is from these sources, occasional scattered notes elsewhere, and 
the letters written by Brackenridge to Torrey and now preserved 
in the library of the New York Botanical Garden, that the present 
account has been prepared. 
Joun HENDLEY BARNHART. 
THE COMPETITION IN DECORATIVE DESIGN 
In order to continue the interest in the use of American plants 
in design, aroused by the recent exhibit at the Metropolitan 
Museum of Art, and described in the April issue of the JOURNAL, a 
competition for art students was held during the month of April. 
The following preliminary circular was issued: 
AMERICAN Wr1Ltp FLOWERS IN DECORATIVE DESIGN 
Prizes for competitive designs for printed textiles, of four typi- 
cal East American early-blooming wild flowers, are offered jointly 
