| A BIOGRAPHICAL HISTORY OF BOTANY AT ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. II. |
By Dr. PERLEY SPAULDING
LABORATORY OF FOREST PATHOLOGY, BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
THOMAS DRUMMOND[1] was born about 1780. He is known to have been a native of Scotland, but the exact place of his birth is unknown, as is also his early training and education. He was a brother of James Drummond, the Australian botanical explorer, and is known to have succeeded George Don in the nursery at Forfar. In 1825-6-7 he accompanied the Second Overland Arctic Expedition, led by Sir John Franklin, as assistant to Dr. Richardson, who was the naturalist of the expedition. In Canada Drummond explored very extensively, even into the Rocky Mountains and on the Mackenzie River where the main part of the expedition did most of its work. Upon the completion of the Journey he returned to England, and from 1828 to 1829 he was curator of the Belfast Botanical Garden. Soon after his return to England he published a work upon the American mosses, which was chiefly the result of his collections made in Canada. He again sailed for New York under the patronage of Drs. Hooker and Graham, for the purpose of exploring the southern and western United States. Beginning his tour at New York City in the spring of 1831, he went to Philadelphia, visited Bartram's garden, thence to Baltimore, Washington, and to Wheeling on foot. At the last-named place he embarked for St. Louis, descending the Ohio River and coming up the Mississippi by boat. It was his original intention to Join some fur-trading expedition to the far western country, but he arrived in St. Louis too late for this. He accordingly remained in St. Louis and collected in the vicinity until the next winter. He lost considerable time by sickness, but in January he sent a collection of several hundred species of phanerogams and a considerable collection of mosses and hepatics to Hooker at Kew. Hooker
- ↑ Date of birth and photograph supplied by Mr. J. R. Drummond, grandson of Thomas.
Hooker, Wm. J., Companion to the Jour. of Bot., 1: 21-26, 39-49, 95-101, 170-177, 1835; 2: 60-64, 1836. Journal of Botany, 1: 50-60, 183-202, 1834. Botanical Miscellany, 1: 178, 1849.
Lasègue, A., "Musée Bot. de M. Benj. Delessert," 196-198, 1845.
Sargent, C. S., "Silva of North America," 2: 25, 1891.
