236 General Notes. [March, 



accompanied his father in his travels. Afterwards, in 1773, Wil- 

 liam Bartram undertook, in the interests of Dr. Fothergill, of 

 London, a journey through the same region. His book of travels 

 was published in London in 1794. He states that he found it as 

 he journeyed southwards in the summer of '73 near Fort Barring- 

 ton, where he had seen it ten or twelve years previously as he 

 traveled with his father. After concluding his travels, which ex- 

 tended as far west as the Mississippi, and occupied several years, 

 he returned to Fort Barrington in the autumn of 1778, to collect 

 and send off seeds, roots, etc., of such plants as he had seen in his 

 way. He there found it again in mature fruit, and states that he 

 saw " two to three acres covered with the tree." The seeds col- 

 lected by the Bartrams were distributed in this country and in 

 Europe, and the trees growing from these seeds are all that we 

 have left of the original discovery a hundred years ago. 



In March last I was requested by Professor C. S. Sargeant, who 

 is in charge of the Forestry Department of the Tenth Census 

 work, and also agent for the American Museum of Natural History 

 in New York, to make an effort to rediscover the long lost tree, 

 wood specimens of which were wanted to complete the series of 

 forest trees of the United States for the Government, and also 

 for the museum ; to investigate its habits in the wild state, and to 

 learn more of its geographical range. For that purpose I made a 

 visit to Darien about the middle of March. At that time my only 

 guide to the locality was the simple reference in our botanical 

 books— "found at Fort Barrington, on the . Utamaha." I supposed 

 at first it was to be sought for in the river swamp, but on consulting 

 Mr. Bartrams Travels and learning more of the topography of the 

 country I became convinced that it was not in the river swamp, 

 it was to be looked for but in the flats and pine land branches. 



Barrington stands on the north side of the Altamaha and about 

 16 miles from Darien, where the river has bluffs on its northern 

 banks, thus throwing the whole swamp on the south side. The road 

 from Darien, the same as it was a hundred years ago, passes mostly 

 through damp, flat pine woods, until within about three miles of 

 the fort, where commences a succession of dry and rolling sand 

 hills, which extend up to the river. The site of the old fort is still 

 to be seen, with its ditches and embankments marking the outlines. 

 It retains the old name, and is now known as one of the ferry 

 crossings of the Altamaha river. 



I went up to Darien in company with a friend, traveling the 

 same old road which the Bartrams' and Marshall had used. We 

 made diligent search on the way, but could not find it. This sea- 

 son of the year was unfavorable for the search for an unknown 

 tree, as leaves, flowers and fruit had all disappeared. During the 

 summer my friend, who has good knowledge of the flora of that 

 region, went up three times—in June, July and September-— 

 making careful examinations along the road and the flats and 



