1823, AUGUST. HUDSON RIVER 5 



by tliis gentleman made an impression upon me. I called on Dr. Torrey 

 whom I found an intelligent botanist, an agreeable person, and much 

 disposed to aid me. I landed again at Staten Island. 



August 7<A.— To-day I got my luggage on shore, and through the 

 Custom-house. The after part of the day I devoted to a trip through the 

 island ; observed the oaks and maples growing spontaneously. Lirioden- 

 dron, I observed, Pyrola maculata^ and P. umhellata^ and Mitchella repens 

 growing one mile West of marine hospital. On the hill behind the church 

 I observed two species of Stellaria, one of which was small, like S. scapigera 

 of Britain. On this small hill I found asbestos in great abundance ; three 

 species of Rubus growing by the roadside ; of Ewpatorium I saw three 

 species, one E. perfoliatum fine, on which was growing Cuscuta americana ; 

 Vernonia, Verbena hastata, all growing on dry gravelly soil ; two species 

 of Smilax, and one of a native viae, twisting themselves round the trees. 



August 8tA.— To-day was occupied in getting my boxes to town ; the 

 after part of the day I spent with Dr. Hosack. 



9tA. — I waited on Mr. Hogg, who expressed himself glad to see a person 

 from London ; on his knowing my object, he readily ofiered to aid me and 

 in the meantime would, on the recommendation of Dr. Hosack, accom- 

 pany me to all principal parts of the city, tiU I should get a Uttle acquainted. 



Sunday, August lOiA.— Mr. Hogg accompanied me to some of his 

 neighbours and religious friends ; had a gUmpse of their gardens, &c. 



Monday, August IKA.— Early this morning I went to the vegetable 

 market, the Fulton. It had a beautiful appearance, beet of superior 

 variety and fine carrots, raised in this country ; I observed a very great 

 deficiency of cauUflower, indeed they were miserably poor ; onions were fine, 

 mostly red ; the immense supply of melons and cucumbers — the latter of 

 which, however, were not so fine as may be expected and appeared for the 

 most part to be the same as the short prickly ones cultivated in England 

 — the melons were fine. An abundant supply of early apples, pears, 

 peaches — the two former were fine, but the peaches looked rather bad, 

 being ripened inomaturely and the trees being sickly ; immense varieties of 

 squashes' or gourds, plums, early damsons, a great supply of pineapples from 

 the West Indies, and cocoanuts. I observed a fine head of Musa sapientum 

 which weighed 40 lb. At 8 o'clock this morning we set off for Flushing and 

 visited the establishment of Mr. Prince. I found him a man of but 

 moderate liberality ; he has some good specimens of Magnolia, of Berberis 

 Aguifolium, a few European plants, common shrubs and herb plants. 

 Indeed on the whole I must confess to be somewhat disappointed, for 

 his extensive catalogue and some talk had heightened my idea of it ; but 

 most of his ground is covered over with weeds. I was much pleased with 

 the beautiful villas on the banks of the Sound ; saw people employed in 

 preparing their operations for diving to the Hussar, a British frigate 

 taken during the late war. 



August 12th and 13<A.— Early this morning we crossed the River Hudson 

 and visited some of the finest fruit-orchards of that place. I saw one par- 



1 Chimaphila maculata, A. Gray, Syn. Fl. N. Am. ii. I. p. 45. 



" Chimaphila umhellata, A. Gray, loc. cit., p. 45. ' 



