An American biographical and historical dictionary, containing an account of the lives, characters, and writings of the most eminent persons in North America from its first discovery to the present time, and a summary of the history of the several colonies and of the United States / by William Allen.
- William Allen
- Date:
- 1809
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: An American biographical and historical dictionary, containing an account of the lives, characters, and writings of the most eminent persons in North America from its first discovery to the present time, and a summary of the history of the several colonies and of the United States / by William Allen. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![) Ft. 4% .oc0e? ol OES. a Pieaerios of integrity and “unquestionable. bravery “he ota. nayal achievements a few years before his death reflect honor on his memory. The carnage of war did not harden his heart into cru- elty. He had the art of commanding without supercilious haugh- finess, or wanton severity. Another trait in his character was. a punctilious observance of the duties of religion —Gazette of the Onited States, Sefit. 20, 1803. BARTRAM (J OHN); an eminent botanist, was born near the vil- Jage of Darby in Chester county, Pennsylvania, in the year 1701.. His; grandfather of the same name accompanied William Penn to this country in 1682. This self taught genius early discoveredian ardent desire for the acquisition of knowledge, especially of botanical knowledge 5 but the infant state of the colony placed great obstacles in his way, “He however surmounted them by intense application and the resources of hisown mind. © By the assistance of respectable characters he obtained the rudiments of the learned languages, which he studied with extraordinary success. So earnest was he in the pursuit of learn- ing, that he could hardly spare time toeat ; and he might often have been found with his victuals in one »-hand and his book in the other. He acquired so much knowledge of medicine and surgery; as to ad- minister great assistance to the indigent and distressed in his neigh- borhood. | He cultivated the ground as the means of supporting a large family ; but-while ploughing or sow ing his fields, or mowing meadows, he was stil] Cee his inquiries into the operations: of nature. He was the first iAriericaay who conceived and carried into effect the design of ‘a*botanic garden, for the cultivation of American plants, as well as of exotics. He purchased a fine situation’on the banks of the Schuylkill about five miles from Philadelphia, where he laid’out with his own hands a large garden. © He furnished: it with avariety of the most curious and beautiful vegetables, collected hr his excursions fron’ Canada to Florida. These excursions were made principally in autumn, when his presence at home was least demanded by his agricultural avocations. His ardor in these” ‘pur- ‘suits was such, that at the age of seventy he made a journey into East Florida to explore its natural-productions. Histr avels among the Indians were frequently attended with danger and difficulty. By his means the gardens of Eur ope were enriched with elegant flowering shrubs, with plants and ‘trees, collected ‘in different parts of our country from s shore of lake Ontario to the source of the ‘river St. Juan. He made such pruticicnite in his aide pursuit, that Linnzus: ‘pronounced him “the greatest natural botanist in the world.” 7 His eminence in natural history attracted the esteem of the most’ distinguished men in America and Europe, and he ‘corresponded with many of them. By means of the friendship of sir Hans](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b32886639_0066.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
