68 



That portion of land, which forms the soil of most of t'he 

 states included between the sea and the ridge of hills which 

 extends westerly from the southern part of the state of New- 

 York, round the rivers Patapsco and James, to the Roanoak 

 in South-Carolina, is generally loose in its texture and rich 

 in its composition. It was perhaps formed later than most 

 of the other country, being in many places manifestly allu- 

 vial, from the surrounding heights. This region of ground 

 5s intersected by numerous streams of water, on the banks 

 of which a multitude of herbs and shrubs are found, that 

 were thought to grow only in the upland country. In other 

 parts of this tract, plants are seen which were supposed na- 

 tives only of the southern states. Thus in the lower parts 

 of New- Jersey, Euphorbia Ipecacuanha has lately been dis- 

 covered. 



My purpose does not require a particular description of 

 the nature of the soil in every portion of the country. It is 

 sufficient to state that it is generally fertile. 



Take now, in connexion with the statement just made, an 

 extract from Wildenow's Principles of Botany and Vegetable 

 Physiology. " We find (says he) that mountainous coun- 

 tries are richer in plants than flat countries, and that in prim- 

 itive mountains the number of plants exceeds that of the 

 floetz mountains. A country of primitive rocks has plants, 

 which other mountainous countries do not possess. In all 

 plains of the same latitude, however far they may extend, the 

 same plants always occur; only with some little varieties 

 dependant on difference of soil. In primitive rocks, and at 

 their foot, we again meet with all the plants of flat countries. 

 Whenever primitive rocks surround a flat country, we find 

 all the plants of this at their root, and even at their summits ; 

 but after ascending, and descending on their opposite side, 

 we find a different vegetation, which again extends as far as 

 the next mountainous chain. Now, who will doubt that all 

 the plants of flat countries which were found at a later peri- 

 od, came from the high mountains ; and that the primitive 

 mountains of our globe, were the chief sources, as it were, of 



