Clinton's introductory discourse, 67 



establishment. Our Agricultural Society in 1793, proposed to the 

 chamber of commerce that standing instructions should be given by the 

 merchants to the captains of vessels sailing to Africa, Asia, and the 

 north of Europe, and the southern and western parts of America, to 

 collect information respecting husbandry; and the chamber of com- 

 merce recommended the measure ; but it is believed that no beneficial 

 result has accrued. 



4. Men of observation and science ought to be employed to explore 

 our country with a view to its geology, mineralogy, botany, zoology^ 

 and agriculture. They ought not only to examine with their own eyes, 

 but to avail themselves of local information, to be derived from intelli- 

 gent men in every part of the state. By these means a mass of valuable 

 and authentic information may be obtained which can, in most cases, be 

 acquired in no other way. 



The celebrated Linnaeus often expressed a wish to visit America, in 

 order to explore its vegetable productions. His disciple Kalm, travel- 

 led through this country in 1748, for that purpose. Since the revolu- 

 tionary war several European princes have sent scientific men here to 

 make collections and observations on our natural history. The Mi- 

 chaux, father and son, have thrown great light upon our botany by their 

 inestimable labours. The elder of them published a treatise on the 

 Oaks of America, wherein he describes twenty-nine species and va- 

 rieties : the younger, who, with much ability, edited and published, in 

 1803, the Flora Boreali Americana, chiefly the result of his father's 

 investigations, has also lately completed, at Paris, the Histoire des 

 Arbres Forestiers de L'Amerique Septentrionale, in three volumes. 

 In this work F. Andre Michaux has considered our forest trees more 

 particularly as subservient to commerce and the arts. The respective 

 performances of these distinguished and enterprising botanists, may just- 

 ly be considered as among the most important contributions which the 



