

300 



JOHN GOLDIE. 



enjoyed. In 1817 he paid his first visit to America, of which he 

 published, as already stated, the following account : — 



" Having had for many years a great desire to visit North 

 America, chiefly with a view to examine and collect some of its 

 vegetable productions, I contrived, in 1817, to obtain as much 

 money as would just pay my passage there, leaving, when this was 

 done, but a very small surplus. In the month of June I sailed from 

 Leith, and landing at Halifax, remained for some days botanizing 

 in the neighbourhood of that place, where I met with several plants 

 wbich were interesting to me, especially a yellow-flowered variety of 

 Sarracmia purpurea, which I have never since seen elsewhere. 

 From hence I went to Quebec, carrying with me all the roots and 

 specimens that I had obtained, which, together with the produce of 

 two weeks' researches in the neighbourhood of Quebec, I put on 

 board a vessel which was bound for Greenock, but never heard of 

 them afterwards. Hence I proceeded to Montreal, where, meeting 

 with Mr. Pursh, author of the North American Flora, he advised 

 me to turn my course towards the north-west country in the 

 following spring, and promised to procure me permission to accom- 

 pany the traders leaving Montreal. I travelled on foot to Albany, and 

 then proceeded by water to New York. I remained but a short time 

 in this last place, for I explored the eastern part of New Jersey, 

 a country which, though barren and thinly inhabited, yet presents 

 many rarities to the botanist, and gave me more gratification than 

 any part of America that I have seen. At a place called Quaker's 

 linage I gathered some most interesting plants, and having accu- 

 mulated as large a load as my back would carry, I took my 

 journey to Philadelphia, where I staid but a very short time ; for 

 knowing that a ship was about to sail from New York to Scotland, 

 1 hastened to return thither; and having again entrusted my 

 treasures to the deep, I had again, as the first time, the disap- 

 pointment of never obtaining any intelligence whatever of them. 



"My finances being now extremely low, and winter having 

 commenced, I hardly knew what to do ; but after some delay, went 

 up to the Mohawk river, where I found employment during the 

 season as a schoolmaster. I quitted this place in April, 1818, and 

 proceeded to Montreal, expecting to be ready to depart on my 

 journey towards the north-west country. I was disappointed in 

 nnding that Mr. P urs h had left Montreal for Quebec, and that even 

 , P re8 ent,lus interest would scarce have been sufficiently strong to 

 nave obtained for me the assistance and protection which I desired. 

 My only alternative was now the spade, at which I worked all 

 summer, excepting only two days in each week which I devoted 

 to botanizing and went also a little way up the Otowa, or Grand 

 Jjiver , the only excursion of any length which I accomplished. In 

 tue autumn I shipped my collection of plants, and in two months 

 naa the mortification to learn that the vessel was totally wrecked 



in tue bt. Lawrence. Thus did I lose the fruit of two years' 

 labour. 



During the next winter I did little, except employing myself, 

 with such small skill as I was able, in designing some flower- 



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