“To Get Those Plants ... Likely to Prove Interesting at Edinburgh"
Robert Brown of Perth and James McNab’s North American Tour of 1834
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24823/Sibbaldia.2011.131Abstract
Robert Brown and James McNab are introduced and the purposes of their journey in 1834 are explained. Extracts from the diaries written by McNab which might be of particular interest to horticulturists are reproduced. The details of the itinerary and a seed list of species collected are also included as appendices.
References
ANONYMOUS (1835). Editor’s note on J. McNab paper, On the local distribution of different species of trees in the native forests of America, Quarterly Journal of Agriculture, 5, 605.
ANONYMOUS (1837). Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Account of meeting of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh held on 9 June 1836. First Annual Report, Laws and Transactions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 28–29.
ANONYMOUS (1838). Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, Account of meeting of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh held on 13 July 1837. Second Annual Report and Proceedings of the Botanical Society, 46–47.
BALFOUR , I.B. (1908). History of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. Principal Gardeners: William McNab. Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 3, 293–394.
DOUGLAS, D. (1914). Journal kept by David Douglas during his travels in North America 1823-1827, together with a particular description of thirty-three species of American oaks and eighteen species of Pinus. London: William Wesley & Son.
GALT , J. (1830). Lawrie Todd; or The settlers in the woods. London & New York: H. Colburn & R. Bentley.
GOLDIE, J. (1827). On the culture of North American plants, including ferns; founded on observations made during a journey through Canada and some of the northern States of the Union, in the years 1817, 1818, and 1819. Gardeners’ Magazine, 2, 129–133.
GOLDIE, J. (1897). Diary of a journey through Upper Canada and some of the New England States 1819. Toronto: Wm. Tyrrell.
GRAHAM. R. (1836). Drosera filiformis. Narrow-leaved sun-dew. Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, 63: plate 3540.
LIZARS, R. & LIZARS, K.M. (1896). In the days of the Canada Company: the story of the settlement of the Huron Tract and a view of the social life of the period, 1825–1850; with an introduction by G.M. Grant. Toronto: W. Briggs; Montreal: C.W. Coates.
LOUDON, J.C. (1835). Foreign Notes: America. Botanical Tour. Gardener’s Magazine, 11, 207.
McGUIRE, S. (2009). Robert Cleghorn: nurseryman and man of culture. Quebec Heritage News,
, 9–11 Available at: http://montrealhistory.org/?s=cleghorn (accessed 29 July 2011).
McNAB , J. (1835a). On the local distribution of different species of trees in the native forests of America. Quarterly Journal of Agriculture 5, 594–605.
McNAB , J. (1835b). Account of some of the rare plants observed during an excursion in the United States and the Canadas in 1834. Edinburgh New Philosophical Journal, 19, 56–64.
McNAB , J. (1835/36). Journal of tour through America in 1834. Bound typescript held in RBGE Archives.
McNAB , J. (1836). Manuscript of paper relating to visit to Niagara in 1834, read at the meeting of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh on 13 July 1837. Held in RBGE Archives.
McNAB , J. (1865). Remarks on some seedling Coniferae raised from seeds ripened in Britain. Transactions and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 8, 256–260.
McNAB , J. (1872). On the discoveries of Mr John Jeffrey and Mr Robert Brown, Collectors to the Botanical Expeditions to British Columbia between the years 1850 and 1866, with remarks on the cultivation of certain species. Transactions and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 11, 322–338.
McNAB , J. (1874). Notes on a visit to Messrs. Dickson & Turnbull’s Nurseries. Transactions and Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh, 12, 48–49.
NELSON, E.C. (2011). Personal communication with the author. E-mail sent on 5 August 2011.
NELSON, E.C. & DORE, W.G. (1987). James McNab’s collections from eastern North America, 1834: Notes on nomenclature and type specimens in the National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Ireland. Notes from the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, 44, 343–349.
SHIRREFF, P. (1835). A Tour through North America; together with a comprehensive view of the Canadas and the United States. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Please read our Open Access, Copyright and Permissions policies for more information.
