4 • Preface. 



tress, for the one whom I had chosen for my companion through 

 the turmoils of life consented to go with me, and we joined hands 

 at the American consulate at Havre before sailing. 



These circumstances account foi' my appearance in Chattanooga, 

 Tenn., in June, 1849, which place I reached by stage from Dalton, 

 Ga., the terminus of the Georgia and South Carolina Eailroad. I 

 was fascinated by the magnificence of the scenery; but there were 

 but few dwellings, and these of poor construction, as might be ex- 

 pected in a recently-settled, place. After a short delay, a small side- 

 wheel steamer blew its whistle and brought me and my party after 

 three days' navigation up to Kingston, on the Clinch River. This 

 little town looked 'clean and airy, and, pleased with the friendliness 

 of the citizens, we made it the base of operations for exploring the 

 vicinity. Weary of traveling and wishing to enter on the practice 

 of my profession, I was easily fascinated by a romantic spot called 

 " Cave Spring," eight miles to, the west of Kingston, at the time oc- 

 cupied by an older physician, who intended to go West. I purchased 

 the place in partnership with my brother-in-law, the late George 

 Dury, a Munich artist, whose exquisite paintings now adorn the 

 State Library in the Capitol. Unfortunately, we did not take into 

 consideration, in making this purchase, the possible — or, rather, 

 impossible — revenues to be derived from this possession, a circum- 

 stance which ultimately necessitated the abandonment of our farm- 

 ing experiment at a great sacrifice. 



The transfer from a buoyant German city to this silent retreat 

 was to me a stimulus to concentrate my attetation outside profes- 

 sional duties and equestrian hardships to the study of the botany 

 and geology of the country. At my alma mater, the University of 

 Munich, it was obligatory to pass through a course of natural sci- 

 ences — chemistry, mineralogy, and' botany — before being admitted 

 to the medical department. A two-years', course in general and 

 medicinal botany initiated me into the science. Moreover, I had 

 from earlier school years been a botanical collector, and had given 

 a great deal of time to these studies. 



After the abandonment of Cave Spring I acquired some property 

 in Charleston, Bradley County, where I remained until I accepted, 

 in 1858, the charge of resident surgeon at the copper mines of 

 Ducktown, situated in the high mountains of East Tennessee, ad- 

 joining Forth Carolina and Georgia. The new situation was so- 

 cially very agreeable, moderately remunerative, and possessed botan- 



