THOMAS JEFFERSON IN RELATION TO BOTANY
By RODNEY H. TRUE from The Scientific Monthly, Volume 3. 1916
The relation of Jefferson to science and botany in particular up to
the time of his first presidency had been essentially that of a keenly
interested and very intelligent amateur. He had been an intermediary
between scientists, had on several occasions expressed his own views on
current scientific problems and in some cases had anticipated the
specialists themselves.
In 1802, however, the greatest scientific opportunity of his life
came to Jefferson with the purchase of Louisiana. At this time there
came under the flag of the United States a vast unknown area for ex-
ploration and settlement. The Missouri River with St. Louis as a start-
ing point had for years been a highway into that country swarming with
herds of bison and antelope and peopled with war-like but interest-
ing Indian tribes. Fur traders and their like had brought back such
information as was to be had about the country. The fascination of
this great unknown wilderness had long before taken possession of
Jefferson. While a resident in Paris he had become acquainted with
John Ledyard, one of those nomads who roamed the world in search of
adventure. Ledyard had been with Captain Cook in his famous voyage
through Behring Straits and was with him on his last fateful visit to
the Sandwich Islands. He came to Paris in 1786 ready for a new quest
and was urged by Jefferson to traverse Europe and Siberia to Kam-
schatka, to cross in Eussian vessels to Alaska, then a Eussian posses-
sion, to go southward to the latitude of the Missouri Kiver, from which
point he was to travel eastward to the headwaters of that river and
along its course through Louisiana to the United States. Ledyard at-
tempted to carry out this program, but through interference from the
Eussian government his plans were thwarted.
Nothing daunted by the unhappy outcome of this attempt, Jefferson
proposed to the American Philosophical Society that a subscription be
made up from private sources to finance an expedition up the Missouri
Eiver from St. Louis to cross what Jefferson called the " stony moun-
tains " to some corresponding stream on their farther slope, the course
of which was to be traced westward to the ocean. Caspar Wistar, get-
ting wind of these plans, in June, 1792, tried to get his Philadelphia
friend Dr. Moses Marshall to confer with Jefferson with the purpose in
view of undertaking the task. But Dr. Marshall having been appointed
justice of the peace, was diverted permanently from botany (Harsh-
berger). The leadership was proposed to Andre Michaux, who ac-
cepted the rather rigorous terms of the promoters of the enterprise.
Jefferson, speaking for the Philosophical Society, gave Michaux his in-
structions which, did time permit, would make very interesting reading.
Michaux reached Kentucky only to be recalled by the French govern-
ment to carry out a program of exploration for which he had been
previously employed by it.
A third attempt was soon planned, this time with government aid.
In January, 1803, acting on a confidential message from Jefferson,
Congress approved his recommendation that a sum deemed sufficient
to carry out the project be appropriated, and Jefferson lost no time in
snmomting his old neighbor and private secretary, Captain Meriwether
Lewis, to take charge of the expedition. After associating with himself
William Clark of Kentucky, Lewis, in April, 1803, received the neces-
sary credentials and instructions from President Jefferson covering all
points of policy likely to arise. To prepare himself the better for his
work Lewis spent some months in Philadelphia receiving instruction
in science from the eminent 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 value 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 first publish the results. The collections seem to have 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 famous gardens known as
"The Woodlands," by whom they were successfully grown.
The history of a number 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
Philadelphia, June 28, 1808.
"Dear Sir: I am happy to inform you that I have fine plants of all the varie-
ties of currants (7) and gooseberries (2) brought by Govr. Lewis, and of
about 20 other new species of plants, as well as five or six new genera; This
will add to natural history and the plants are forthcoming. "
To this Jefferson replies (in part), from Washington, July 6, 08.
"... I received only a few of Govr. Lewis's articles and have here growing
only his salsafia, mandane corn 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,
all his collection of dried specimens of plants, procured during his
journey to the Pacific Ocean, and several kinds of new living plants,
which I raised from the seed of his collecting which you and himself
were pleased to give me. In consequence of a hint to that effect,
given me by Govr. Lewis on his leaving this City, I never yet parted
with one of the plants raised from his seeds, nor with a single seed the
produce of either of them, for fear they would make their way into the
hands of any botanist, either in America or Europe who might rob Mr.
Lewis of the right he had to first describe and name his discoveries,
in his intended publication; and indeed, I had strong reasons to
believe this opportunity was coveted by which made me still more
careful of the plants.
On Governor Lewis's departure from here, for the seat of his
government, he requested me to employ Mr. Frederick Pursh, on his
return from a collecting excursion he was then about to undertake for
Dr. Barton, to describe and make drawings of such of his collection as
would appear to be new plants and that himself would return to
Philadelphia in the month of May following. About the first of the
ensuing November, Mr. Pursh returned, took up his abode with me,
began the work, progressed as far as he could without further explana-
tion in some cases, from Mr. Lewis, and was detained by me, on
expectation of Mr. Lewis's arrival at my expense, without the
least expectation of any future remuneration, from that time till April
last; when not having received any reply to several letters I had
written from time to time, to Govr. Lewis on the subject, not being
able to obtain any information when he might be expected
here, I thought it a folly to keep Pursh longer idle, and recommended
him as gardener to Dr. Hosack of New York, with whom he has
since lived. The original specimens are all in my hands, but
Mr. Pursh had taken his drawings and descriptions with him,
and will, no doubt, on the delivery of them expect a reasonable
compensation for his trouble. As it appears to me probable that
you will interest yourself in having the discoveries of Mr. Lewis
published, I think it a duty incumbent on me to give you
(the Ms. is here torn) preceding information, and to ask
your advice as to the propriety of still keeping the living plants
I have from getting into other hands who would gladly describe and
publish them without doing due honor to the memory and merit
of the worthy discoverer. I am, sir, with the most sincere esteem,
your well wisher, etc. Bernd. McMahon"
It is not necessary to philosophize on the sad state of those times
when botanists were jealous of each other's new species. The part
played by McMahon, the gardener, seedsman and botanist, as a sort of
central, connecting Lewis, the collector, Pursh, the botanist, and Jef-
ferson, the prime mover in the whole enterprise is clearly indicated.
On February 18, 1812, McMahon sent to Jefferson among other of
Lewis's plants, (1) " Ribes odoratissimum (Mihi), an important shrub,
the fruit very large, of a dark purple colour, the flowers yellow, showy
and extremely fragrant"; (2) Symphoricarpos leucocarpa (Mihi),
which he described and to which he gives the English name of Snow-
berry bush, which it still retains; (3) "The yellow currant of the
River Jefferson, that is specifically different from the other, but I have
not given it a specific botanical name." He closes his letter by re-
ferring to another subject which is quoted as showing his attitude to-
ward Jefferson in a botanical matter:
"I would thank you to inform me whether you take the Gloeester nut to be a
distinct species as announced by Michaux f. (Juglans lacmiosa) or whether if
only a variety it is nearer allied to the Juglans tomentosa Mich, or to the J.
squamosa Mich, fi, the J. alba of his father. "
In time, through the help of Abbe Correa de Serra and others,
Jefferson was able to rescue a considerable part of the notes of the Lewis
and Clark expedition from their various hiding places and to get them
into the hands of a publisher, Paul Allen, for whom he wrote a brief
biographical sketch of Meriwether Lewis.
Speaking summarily of Jefferson's relation to the Lewis and Clark
expedition, it is clear that Jefferson inspired and sustained this famous
enterprise, determined its course and in the end, outliving all others
who had had a scientific interest in the enterprise, secured the benefits
of its results to the country. Viewed broadly, this expedition was per-
haps Jefferson's greatest contribution to science in general and to
botany in particular.
