{div-startdate}Coldengham in the Province of NewYork
Febry1st 1750-1, English style
Sr,
Mr Kalm being now on his return home, I cannot suffer him to
go, without acknowledging the favours which I have received from you, a person so
highly esteemed & distinguished in the republic of letters, & to whom the world owes
so much, by the vast acquisition in knowledge which it has gain’d, in Botany & all
parts of natural history, by your wonderful Skill and indefatigable labours. My last to
you was entrusted to Mr Kalm’s care. In it I gave you several corrections
of the Botanical observations which Gronovius sent to you from me, & which
Mr Kalm told me are published in the Acta of your Academy. I hope you
received them before those observations were published, & that the proper corrections
were made before the publication. I am very desirous to see them as they are printed,
& I must beg the favour of you to send them to Mr Collinson in London for me, if you
have no opportunity of sending them to Philadelphia, if you have then please to direct
them to the care of Mr Benjamin Franklin Post Master in Philadelphia,
because I know not otherwise how to obtain them.
Mr Kalm has so much more knowledge in Botany & in Natural History
than any in this Country can pretend to, & he has been so industrious, & has undergon
such great difficulties in travelling through a great part of this vast Forest, & risked
such dangers in his person from its Savage inhabitants, that as on the one hand, his
zeal in the pursuit of knowledge cannot be sufficiently applauded, so on the other
hand, I have no hopes left me, that I can be of farther use to you. However,
Sr if there remain any thing in which you think I can give you information,
you will give me the greatest pleasure in receiving your commands. And though it be
too probable, that you may have no such inducement to write to me, yet I hope you
will so far favour a person who has the greatest esteem for your merit, as to let me
some- times know that you live & continue an ornament of your Country, by giving
some account of the fruits that you daily produce
I am with the greatest respect
Sr
Your most obedient humble
Servant
Cadwallader Colden
P. S. Mr Kalm was so industrious, that I could not
persuade him to stay above one night, at my house in the Country, tho’ the fatigues he
underwent required his taking some ease & refreshment. And my hapning to be deeply
concern’d in public affairs depriv’d me, in a great measure, of the pleasure of his
conversation while he was in the City of New York.