7 So COL 
The family of this ingenious horticultural^ is of ancient 
landing in the north. Peter and James vyere the great 
grand Tons of Peter Collinfon, who lived on his paternal 
eftate called Hugal-hall, or Height of Hugal, near Win¬ 
dermere Lake, in tire parilh of Stavely, .about ten miles 
from Kendal in Weftmoreland. Peter, whilft a youth, 
difcovered his attachment to natural hiftory. He began 
early to make a colleftion of dried fpecimens of plants; 
had accefs to the belt'gardens at that time in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of London; and became early acquainted 
with the moll eminent naturalifts of his time ; the doc¬ 
tors Derham, Woodward, Dale, Lloyd, and Sloane, were 
his friends. Among the great variety of articles which 
form that fuperb colleftion, now (by the wife difpofi- 
tion of fir Hans and the munificence of parliament) the 
Britiffl mufeum, final! was the number of thofe with whofe 
hiftory Collifon was not well acquainted ; he being one 
cf thofe few who vifited fir Plans at all times familiarly 5 
their inclinations and purfuits in refpeft to natural hif- 
tory being the fame, a firm friendfhip had early been ef- 
tablifhed between them. Peter Collinfon was elected 
F. R. S. December 12, 1728 ; and perhaps was one of the 
moft diligent and ufeful members, not-only in fupplying 
many curious obfervations himfelf, but in promoting and 
preferving a moft extenfive correfpondence with learned 
and ingenious foreigners, in all.countries, and on every 
ufefui'Jubje6L Befides his attention to natural hiftory, 
be minuted every ftriking hint that occurred either in 
reading or converfation; and from this fource he derived 
much information, as there were very few men of learn¬ 
ing and ingenuity, who where not of his acquaintance at 
home; and moft foreigners of eminence in natural hif¬ 
tory, or in arts and lciences, were recommended to his 
notice and friendfhip. His diligence and ceconomy of 
time was fuch, that though he never appeared to be in a 
hurry, he maintained an extenfive correfpondence with 
great punctuality ; acquainting the learned and ingeni¬ 
ous in diftant parts of the globe, with the difcoveries and 
improvements in natural hiftory in this country, and re¬ 
ceiving the like information from the moft eminent per- 
fons in almolt every other. His correfpondence with the 
ingenious Cadwallader Colden, efq. of New-York, .and 
the juftly celebrated Dr. Franklin of Philadelphia, furnifh 
inftanees of the benefit refulting from his attention to all 
improvements. The latter of thefe gentlemen communi¬ 
cated his firft efiays on eleffricity to Collinfon, in a feries 
of letters, which were then publifhed, and have been re¬ 
printed in a late edition of the doctor’s ingenious dii'co- 
veries and improvements. His converfation,. fo cheerful 
and ufefully entertaining, rendered his acquaintance 
much defired by thofe who had a relifn for natural hif- v 
tory, or were ftudious in cultivating rural improvements; 
and it fecured him the intimate friendfhip of fome of the 
molt eminent perfonages in this .kingdom, diftinguifhed 
as well by their tafte in planting and horticulture, as by 
their rank and dignity. He was the firft who introduced 
the great variety of trees'and fhrubs, which are now the 
principal ornaments of every garden ; and it was owing 
to his indefatigable induftry, that fo many perfons of the 
firft diltinCtion are now enabled to behold groves tranf- 
planted from the weftern continent flourifhing fo luxuri¬ 
antly' in their feveral domains, as if they were already be¬ 
come indigenous to Britain. He had fome correfpond- 
ents in almolt every nation in Europe; fomerin Alia, 
and even at Pekin, who all tranfrnitted to him the moft 
valuable feeds they could collect, in return for the trea- 
ftnes of America. The great Linnaeus, during his refi- 
dence in England, contracted an intimate friendfhip with 
Mr. Collinfon, which was reciprocally increafed by a 
multitude of good offices, and continued to the laft. Be¬ 
fides his attachment to natural hiftory, he was very con- 
verfant in the antiquities of our own country, having 
been elefted F. S. A. April 7, 1737 ; and he fuppiied 
them often with curious articles of intelligence, and ob¬ 
fervations reflecting both our own and other countries. 
COL v 
His per fen was rather fhort than tall; he had .a pleafing 
and locial afpeCt; of a temper open and communicative, 
capable of feeling for diltrefs, and ready to relieve and. 
fympathize. Excepting fome attacks of the gout, he en¬ 
joyed, in general, perfeCt health, andi great equanimity 
of fpirits, and bad arrived at his 75th year; when, being 
on a vifii to lord Petre, for whom he had a Angular re¬ 
gard, he was feized with a total fuppreffion of urine, 
which, baffling every attempt to relieve it, proved fatal 
Auguft xi, 1768. Mr. Collinfon left behind him many 
materials for the improvement of natural hiftory; a.ld 
the prefent refined tafte of horticulture may in fome re- 
fpeCls be attributed to his induftry and abilities. The 
late lord Petre, the late duke mf Richmond, and others 
of the firft rank in life and le™ers, were his friends, and 
he was continually urging them to profecute the moft 
liberal improvements. 
COL'LINSONIA, f. [fo named in honour of Peter Col¬ 
linfon, F. R. S. a moft diftinguifhed promoter of botanical 
ltudies, and the firft who introduced this plant, among- 
many others, to the Englifh gardens.] In botany, a ge¬ 
nus of the clafs diandria, order monogynia, natural order 
of perfonatte. The generic charafters are—Calyx: peri- 
anthium one-leafed, tubular, two-lipped ; upper lip three- 
cleft, reflex, wider; lower lip two parted, more erect, 
Tubulate, permanent. Corolla: one-petalled, unequal; 
tube funnel-form, many times longer than the calyx ; 
borders five-cleft; upper divifions obtufe, very fhort; 
the two upper ones reflex ; lower lip longer, many-cleft, 
capillary. Stamina: filaments two, brittle-form, ereft, 
very long; aritherae Ample, incumbent, comprefied, ob- 
tule. Piftilium : germ four-cleft, obtufe, with a larger 
glandule lying below the germ ; ftyle bridle-form, length 
of the ftamens, inclined to one fide ; ftigma bifid acute. 
Pericarpium : none ; calyx chenfhes the feed in its bot¬ 
tom, and is ringent with an irregular mouth. Seed : An¬ 
gle, globofe. EJfential Character. Corolla, unequal; ca¬ 
lyx, of the fruit, one-leafed, toothed ; of the flower, 
bifid ; feed, one under the calyx of the flower. 
Species. 1. Collinfonia Canadenfis, or nettle-leaved 
collinfonia : leaves ovate, both.tkey and the ftems finooth. 
This has a perennial root. In America it ufually rifes 
the height of four or five feet, but in England it fel- 
dom grows above three feet high. The ftalks decay in 
the autumn, and frefh (hoots come out in the fpring. 
The ftalks are fquare, with heart-Thaped leaves, oopofite, 
and ferrate. The flowers are produced at the extremity 
of the ltalks in loofe lpikes; they are of a purpiilh yel¬ 
low, and appear in July; the feeds ripen .in autumn. 
One feed only generally comes to maturity, the others 
being almolt always abortive; this is globofe, afh-cojour- 
ed obfcurely reticulated with dufky veins. Native of 
North America, in Pennfylvania and that latitude, in 
little woods and among bufhes, in a rich foil ; not far¬ 
ther to the nor to the north above 43 0 15'. Mr. 
Bartram was the firft who difcovered it, and fent it to 
Europe. It has a peculiar fcent, which is agreeable but 
very ftrong. It is reputed to be an excellent remedy 
againft pains in the limbs and a cold, if the parts aifefted 
be rubbed with it: a decoriion of it is alfo faid to have 
cured the bite of the rattle-make. In Nevv-York, &c. 
they call it horfenveed, becaufe the horfes eat it in the 
fpnng, before any other plant comes up. Introduced, 
1735, by Peter Collinfon. 
2. Collinfonia fcabriufcula, or rcugh-ftalked coliin- 
fonia: leaves ovate, fubcordate, fomewhat hairy; Item 
fomewhat hairy, fcabrous. Native of E.;!l Florida; 
found there by Mr. John Bartram. Perennial. 
Propagation and Culture. The firft fpecies may be eafily 
propagated by parting the roots in October. Thefe roots 
fhould be planted at three feet diftance, for they require 
much nourifflment, otherwife they will not thrive. It 
will live in the open ground, if it is planted in a fheltered 
fituation. But unlefs it is kept warm, and is duiy wa¬ 
tered, it rarely flowers well; therefore many perfons keep 
