Introductory discourse delivered before the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, on the fourth of May, 1814 / By De Witt Clinton.

  • DeWitt Clinton
Date:
1815
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Introductory discourse delivered before the Literary and Philosophical Society of New York, on the fourth of May, 1814 / By De Witt Clinton. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    144/162 (page 136)
    From information, which has recently reached me, lam persuaded, that our dutch ancestors paid more attention to the improvement and natural history of - the country, than has been generally imagined. Weare, as yet, greatly in the | % dark with respect to events and observations during their occupancy of New Netherland, as they termed their country; but the means of information are amply within our reach. De Leart wrote a book respecting it, wherein he gives a very particular account of the indians ; and. Mevapolensis, an: eminent dutch ininister, who formerly lived in this city, also. published a work on’ this country when a dutch proyince ; and I have now before me a manuser ipt trans- lation made by the rev. dr. Bassett, of dri Van der Donk’s History of New N etherland, published i in 1655. It is very. interesting, and itis to be hoped, q that that worthy gentleman will meet with sufficient encouragement to publish ; : ] L it, and also correct translation of De Laert and Megapolensis, for which no. man in this country ty better qualified. Van der Donk states, that a ‘certain a surgeon, a resident of New Netherland, had formed an extensive botanical garden, in which he planted many. medical roots, which he cultivated from the woods adjacent to his abode; but by the removal of that worthy gentleman | from the country, bis humane and patriotic exertions were lost to the world. 1 This, I undertake to say, was the first botanical garden “established j in this paft of America, It appears, also, from this work, that most of. the: medicinal and. | other berbs, with which the country abounds, were known to our duteh forefath- | ers; that they took uncommon pains to introduce the best cereal gramina, legu- ’ mens, and excellent vegetables, and fruit of various kinds, and have even culti- : ; vated canary seed ; that they introduced the white and red, the cornelian-and stock roses, wall fowers, tulips, imperial flowers, the white lily, and lily of the 3 E 4 valley, ladies’ rose, violet, and gold flower, and that the country abounded : with flower g peculiar toit, of the most beautiful kind, to which the european ; was an entire str anger ; slg, the sunilow er, the red and yellow lily, the mornibg: : glory, ihe white, yellow, and red mary gol a species of wild eglaatine, ‘the different kinds ‘of the : ‘bell flower, and many others. GG RAS get ig RT i! fe Skee we Our dutch ancestors also turned their ‘attention to improving the dyes ae the country : gr eat hopes were entertained from the wild indigo. and they not. only i supposed that the common tadigo might be raised to great: advantage, but. they: actually tried the experiment. Seed was imported from Holland. . ‘The first. ne attempt failed, owing, as it was supposed, to an extraordinary drought. awhighyo we - prevented the plant from coming to maturity : ‘but another experiment completes): a 4 ly succeeded : the seed was sown near New Amsterdam, (New-York) penne Ba great crop-was obtained ; ; Specimens were sent to. the. ‘mother cou ountry,. seine good judges pronounced it of a superior quality. But what i is still more ex traor- dinary is, that there is reason'to believe that ary was — to iatrtice aes - A