1803.] 
fufficient for his prefent purpofe, he re- 
folved not only to re-examine them on the 
fpot, with the moft fcrupulous accuracy, 
but to delineate himfelf all the different 
parts of thofe he wifhed to defcribe. In 
carrying this refolution into effeét, how- 
ever, he had a more painful facrifice to 
make than when he quitted Ruffia, as his 
union with a woman he loved, and the 
birth of a fon, had given hima ftill more 
decided tafte for domeftic happinefs and 
the charms of retirement. Having learned 
that Sir Jofeph Banks had returned from 
his voyage round the world, with an im- 
menfe collection of natural curiofities, he 
determined, without delay, to avail him- 
felf of the information this circumftance 
might afford; with which view he depart- 
ed for London in the {pring of 1778. That 
illuftrious naturalift, with a liberality for 
which he is fo eminently diftinguifhed, not 
only permitted Geertner to examine, but 
to diffect, all the fruits in his collection ; 
he prefented him with a fample of all thofe 
of which he had more than one fpecimen, 
and exerted himfelf to procure for him a 
number of others, that he had not in his 
own pofleffion. After having finithed fe- 
veral drawings and defcriptions, he left 
England, loaded with prefents from Sir 
Jofeph Banks, as well as others from the 
gardens at Kew, and went to Amfterdam 
with the intention of having an interview 
with M. Thunberg, who, a fhort time be- 
fore, had made a voyage to Japan and 
the Cape of Good Hope. This celebrated 
botanift received him with the greateft cor- 
diality ; he prefented for his infpection a 
great number of exotic fruits; and pro- 
mifed to tranfmit to Calu many more 
which had not yet arrived. 
In reviewing this epoch in the life of 
Geitner, we know not whether moft to 
admire the confidence with which he ap- 
plied to thofe naturalifts who might affitt 
him in his refearches, or the Jiberality with 
which they communicated to him all their 
treafures. Yet why fhould we be atlo- 
nifhed ? for in proportion to our advance- 
ment in f{cience, our attachment to it be- 
comes greater, and a defire to extend its 
limits induces us to regard the knowledge 
we poffefs as a common good to thofe who 
are animated with the fame [{pirit. 
Upon leaving Amfterdam, Gartner went 
to Leyden, at which place the cabinet con- 
tained many things very interefling. Un- 
fortunately, his paffion for ftudy, and an 
anxiety to employ every moment of his 
time, that he might the fooner return to 
retwement, made him neglect altogether 
Account of Gaertner the Botanift. 
S47 
the care of his health. From the frequent 
ufe of the microfcope, joined to exceffive 
ftudy, he became affected with a nervous 
malady, and, on his return to Calu, was 
threatened with the lofs of fight. No re- 
medy appeared to afford him relief; and 
the vexation he experienced, in being thus 
interrupted in his labours, did not tend to 
the re-eftablifament of his general health. 
During twenty months he was moftly con- 
fined to his bed, in a darkened chamber ; 
and, having given up all hope from medi- 
cal aid, had refolyed to bear his misfor- 
tunes with philofophic patience, when the 
pain abated by degrees, and in a very 
fhort time his fight became as perfeét as 
it had been previous to his illnefs. Al- 
though his health continued in -a very 
feeble ftate, yet a tafte for ftudy fcarcely 
allowed him to notice thofe pains which 
took not from him the power of obferva- 
tion; and he returned to his labours with 
fuch affiduity, that in about two years both 
the drawings and the manufcript of the firft 
volume were finifhed. He wifhed, how- 
ever, to revife the work previoufly to its 
publication, when he difcovered that the 
knowledge he had fucceffively acquired, 
had habituated his mind to feize thofe re- 
lations, and confider thofe details which at 
firft had efcaped his obfervation. He 
hikewife perceived, that the defcrigtions 
were neither fufticiently precife, nor accu- 
rate ; and befides, that the introduction, 
which had been firft written, was not al- 
together free from hypothefis. He re- 
folved to corre&t thefe errors, but judged it 
firft proper that a confiderable time fhould 
elapfe, in order that his mind, by an at- 
tention to different occupations during 
this interval, might be wholly detached: 
from every idea of fy(tem, and that he 
might enter on this tafk free from preju- 
dice, as if about to examine the work of 
any other author. 
In conformity to thefe views, he allowed 
eighteen months to pafs without ever caft- 
ing his eyes over the work; and whilft 
able artifts engraved his defigns, he con- 
firuéted feveral machines, among which 
was an afironomical clock. He likewife 
conftruéted a monograph of plants with 
compound flowers, the genera of which he 
reformed, and defcribed with care all thofe 
fpecies which could be procured. Anab- 
ftraét from this work, containing the ge- 
neric charaéters, is printed at the end of 
his fecond volume. 
The engravings being finifhed, Gzert- 
ner employed eight months in revifing his 
firft volume, which was printed at Stut- 
Yy2 gard, 
