Page:The Scientific Monthly vol. 3.djvu/361

 THOMAS JEFFERSON IN RELATION TO BOTANY 355

in Bcience from the emiBent men residing there. Dr. Benjamin S. Barton chiefly took his tuition in botany in hand and consulted freely on those phases of the plan dealing with zoology and anthropology as well. The expedition, despite much fatigue and suffering, was carried out successfully and after about two years^ absence returned with much material of great yalue to natural history. In accordance with the terms of the agreement with the government, Captain Lewis was to have charge of the working up of the material and was to retain the right to &rst publish the results. The collections seem to haye been placed by Lewis in the hands of qualified investigators before he as- sumed the post as governor of the new Louisiana territory to which he was soon appointed. Not long after, while suffering from a mental illness, he is said to have committed suicide. The decease soon after of Dr. Benjamin S. Barton, who was in charge of much of the material, and the bankruptcy of the bookmaker who was to have published the results threatened even at this late date to frustrate the object of the entire undertaking. The story of the adventures of the herbarium material makes a tale to stir botanists. We shall get a part of it from letters quoted below.

The seeds collected by the expedition seem in a measure to have been taken in charge by Jefferson, who divided the major part of them into two portions, which were given to Bernard McMahon, a botanist and nurseryman living in Philadelphia and to William Hamilton of the same place, the wealthy owner of the famouB gardens known as " The Woodlands,'* by whom they were successf idly grown.

The history of a nimiber of the plants grown from these seed is traced in the correspondence between Jefferson and McMahon. These letters show, mjoreover, that Jefferson was the one stable element in the chaotic situation that had come to pass, and in the end he more than any other one man was able to save and bring within reach of the pub- lic the results of this expedition. McMahon writes from

PHnJLBKLPHiA, June 28, 1808. Bear Sir: I am happy to inform jou that I have fine plants of aU the varie- ties of cnirants (7) and gooseberries (2) brought by Govr. Lewis, and of about 20 other new species of plants, as weU as five or six new genera; This will add to natural history and the plants are forthcoming.

To this Jefferson replies (in part), from

WAsmNGTON, July 6, 08. ... I received only a few of Oovr, Lewis's articles and have here growing only his salsafia, mandane com and a pea remarkable for its beautiful blossom and leaf, his forward bean is growing in my neighborhood.

On December 24, 1809, not long after the tragic death of Governor Lewis became known, McMahon writes from Philadelphia:

I am extremely sorry for the death of that worthy and valuable man, Govr. Lewis, and the more so, for the manner of it. I have, I believe, aU his eoUection of dried specimens of plants, procured during his journey to the

�� �