5 
[ Mep. No. 564. ] 
which he is willing to accept as an equivalent for his past services, or for 
his future services, as a premium “to encourage the introduction and pro- 
motethe culture of” tropical plants; since this grant, with his special intel¬ 
ligence, will enable him to secure that leading and permanent participation 
in this important enterprise which he believes essential to the speedy, 
spirited, and persevering progress of the present or any other association, 
to its zealous, liberal, and patriotic measures, to its ultimate accomplish¬ 
ment of the greatest possible national advantages, and to the consequent 
elevation of his name to the list of benefactors of his country. 
That, in the opinion of pur memorialist, the southern extremity of the 
peninsula of Florida, in soil, climate, and geographical position, affords the 
only suitable location for the commencement of the aforesaid enterprise, 
by means of a garden or nursery to contain all tropical vegetables of util¬ 
ity or ornament, which, after due seasoning, may thence be gradually 
transplanted and acclimated throughout the Territory, and thus be ulti- 
miately extended over the adjoining States on the Gulf of Mexico and the 
Atlantic ocean; and that, in this way, your memorialist firmly believes 
almost every valuable tropical vegetable may be finally domesticated in 
all our Southern States, with the great encouragement afforded by the 
general fact that most articles of culture flourish best at the more tem¬ 
perate margins of their native zone. 
That, hpce, your memorialist confidently anticipates the naturalization 
of all exotics whose qualities may render them desirable denizens of our 
free and industrious republic; among which he may name the very beau¬ 
tiful and extensively useful family of the Palms, whose diversified products 
embrace every thing that is essential to the subsistence and comfort of 
man; the Liliaceous groups, including the Agaves, in his estimation, rank 
next in their manifold utility to the human race; the shrubs for chocolate, 
coffee, and tea, which have become articles of necessity in civilized life; 
the logwood, fustic, cochineal, and other dyes of Mexico, Guatemala, and 
Brazil ; the cinnamon, pimento, ginger, and other spices of the East and 
West Indies; the mahogany, cedar, ebony, and other precious woods of 
all parts of the world; the bananas, anonas, mangoes, and numerous 
delicious fruits for the enjoyment of health; the Peruvian bark, sarsa¬ 
parilla, canella, and innumerable salutary medicines for the removal of 
disease. 
That, in the opinion of your memorialist, the domestication of the spe¬ 
cies of a single genus of tropical plants will cause a great revolution in 
the agriculture of the Southern States, which will ndt only effectually re¬ 
lieve their present embarrassments, but will also give a productive value 
to their ruined fields arid most steril districts; and that the extensive cul¬ 
tivation of a single species (the Agave Sisalana) alone, will furnish a profit¬ 
able staple to the planters of the South, and a cheap material to the man¬ 
ufacturers of the North; which will supply many wants of our merchant 
vessels, of our navy, and of our citizens in general; augment our coasting 
trade and our foreign commerce ; and thus contribute greatly to the pros¬ 
perity and perpetuity of the Union. 
That your memorialist, therefore, most respectfully trusts that, either as 
an equivalent for his past sacrifices, as a reward for his communicated in¬ 
formation, as an encouragement for his future services, or as a considera¬ 
tion for all combined, the prayer of this memorial will be granted: espe¬ 
cially as the land in that section of Florida will not otlierwise, in many 
