192 WILLIAM BARTRAM 



divinity. . . ." ^ Bartram's keen observation, vivid description, 

 and " emotional devotion " have undoubtedly produced their 

 echoes. But that is a subject comprehensive enough for a 

 separate study. The following " echoes " suggest that Bartram 

 has made an impression on American literature. 



The similarity between Emerson's "Nature" and Bartram's 

 general philosophy of nature has been casually noted. It is not 

 likely that Emerson, after receiving Carlyle's eulogistic letter 

 about the Travels would fail to become acquainted with the 

 book — if he had not been acquainted with it already. Just what 

 impression Bartram made upon him remains a subject for 

 investigation. 



So does the problem of Thoreau's indebtedness to Bartram. 

 Here we have specific references to begin with. In Walden 

 Thoreau, speaking of the customs among the savage nations, 

 exclaims: "Would it not be well if we were to celebrate such 

 a " busk,' or " feast of first fruits,' as Bartram describes to have 

 been the custom of the Mucclasse Indians? " He then quotes 

 Bartram's description of such a celebration (pp. 509-510).^ 

 Even more interesting is the fact that Thoreau's knowledge of 

 Bartram included more than acquaintance with the Travels. In 

 Excursions, speaking of the jay, he remarks: " I can confirm 

 what William Bartram wrote to Wilson, the ornithologist, that 

 " The jay is one of the most useful agents in the economy of 

 nature. . . .' " ^ 



It would be natural to expect that American poets would find 

 Bartram stimulating reading. Thomas Holley Chivers pub- 

 lished, in 1837, a long poem entitled Nacoochee; or, the Beauti- 

 ful Star. While it is not true that " the whole of it is the author's 

 embodiment of an old Creek legend given currency by Bar- 

 tram," * it is true that Chivers made use of Bartram's legend 

 of a " most blissful spot of earth " as the locale of another 



^ Norman Foerster, Nature in American Literature. New York, 1923, p. xiii. 



^ The Writings of Henry David Thoreau. Riverside edition. Boston, II, 

 108-109. 



^ Ibid., IX, 244. 



* Dorothy Anne Dondore, The Prairie and the Making of Middle America: 

 Four Centuries of Description. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 1926, p. 250. 



