The A NewsletterTraveller of the Bartram Trail Conference Spring, 2007 “William Bartram: An Interdisciplinary Symposium” A Review of the Auburn University Event ar from the thickets, streams and swamps of William Bartram’s explo- rations,F investigators shine the spotlight of research on John and William Bartram and their work . Seven of these scholars stepped out of their studies and laborato- ries to lay out their findings in “William Bartram: An Interdisciplinary Sympo- sium” on October 27, 2006 . Academics, master gardeners, and other followers of Bartram greeted them in a bright, spacious area in the Ralph B . Draughon Library at Auburn Univer- sity in Alabama . Bartram’s art and manu- scripts, displayed around the edges of the room, lent a backdrop to the gathering . Speakers at the William Bartram Symposium at Auburn University were, left to right; Tom Hallock, Joel Fry, Curator of Bartram’s Garden Kathryn Braund, Josh Bellin , Stephanie Volmer, Nancy Hoffmann, Joel Fry, William Cahill. in Philadelphia found in Bartram’s botan- ical correspondence letters to the French Comparing Bartram’s drafts of Travels tor, softened Bartram’s expressions of his ambassador, catalogs of seeds and plants, penned between 1777 and 1783 with the Quaker view of the world and turned and records of a shipment from the gar- published text of 1791, Nancy Hoffmann them into a general “Protestant, Episco- den to George Washington . “Bartram’s (University of Pennsylvania) discovered pal” expression of faith more in tune with literary skills, which we know so well that the earlier manuscripts contain more the prevailing religion of his target audi- from Travels, also served him well as he vivid descriptions than does Travels . Per- ence . sold his ‘curious plants,’” Fry observed . haps most striking is the shift in Bartram’s Scholars and politicians in Bartram’s When Bill Cahill of Rutgers Univer- religious terms . Someone, perhaps an edi- continued on page 3 sity looked into Bartram’s botanical cor- respondence with Henry Muehlenburg Contents William Bartram, Artist . 6. of Lancaster, Pennsylvania he concluded Clermont Huger Lee (1914–2006) . 7. “William Bartram: An Interdisciplinary that Bartram had his own way of looking Symposium” . 1. “My Exploration of the Bartram Trail” . 7. at nature . “While encouraging his con- Why You Should Read Bartram’s “Report to Dr . Recent Writing on William Bartram . 7 temporaries’ efforts to follow Linnaeus in Fothergill” . 2. Bartram Book Named As A Finalist . 8. cataloging species,” Cahill noted, “Bar- President’s Notes . 3. 2007 Fothergill Award . 8. tram declined to take up the enterprise Upcoming Events . 3. Bartram Manuscripts Project . 8 himself; Bartram was more interested in Art, Appalachia, and William Bartram . 4. Bartram Trail Conference Members: natural history and the relationships of Bartram and Indian Medicine . 5. Speed and Beth Rogers . 9. species .” The Georgia Bartram Trail . 5. North Carolina Bartram Trail: Update . 9. 1 Why You Should Read Bartram’s “Report to Dr . Fothergill” Stephanie Volmer count for the difference in my reading son why the “Report” might have a greater experience? sense of immediacy and vividness in some want to begin with a confession: I de- There are a few reasons why the “Re- places than Travels . The sense of an “I” rive more consistent reading pleasure port to Dr . Fothergill” might be, as its first speaking to a “You” emerges in the text, fromI Bartram’s “Report to Dr . Fothergill” editor, Francis Harper said, “fresher .” First, affecting the reader’s experience . Bartram than from his Travels . No doubt part of Bartram wrote it while he was still on his no doubt knew that Fothergill would my preference may be attributed to read- journey, and thus the events described oc- most likely share his “Report” with other erly idiosyncrasy, but it has prompted curred relatively close to the time of writ- naturalists, as was customary . Still, the me to consider what the “Report” offers ing . The historical information about its “Report” was written to a specific person readers as compared to Travels . I want to production is a bit uncertain . We know rather than for a large, abstract audience . share some of my thoughts with you, in that Bartram wrote the “Report” in two The voice of the “Report”—while rec- the hope that if you haven’t yet read the parts, and the best guess is that he sent ognizably Bartram’s—differs somewhat “Report,” I can persuade you to do so . part 1 to Fothergill in London in autumn from the voice in Travels, because Bar- I first became aware of my preference of 1774, probably from Florida, and that tram’s decisions as a writer about tone and a few years ago, when I read the “Report” he sent part 2 to Fothergill in the spring narrative structure would have been influ- and Travels back-to-back . What I discov- of 1775 from Charleston . The movement enced by his understanding of Fothergill’s ered was that several striking scenes in the of the writing in the “Report” captures the expectations as a reader . “Report” seemed diminished and less en- sense of a traveler traveling in ways that When Fothergill agreed to spon- gaging in Travels . I was surprised . Since Travels—written over a longer period of sor Bartram’s trip, he wrote to Bartram Bartram was able to spend more time time when Bartram was settled back on with specific instructions for the journey: writing and crafting Travels, shouldn’t it the family farm in Kinsessing—could “Write to me as often as opportunity of- be uniformly more rich and rewarding not . fers… Letters to me in London, by the than the rough, less digested account of The fact that Bartram wrote the “Re- post or packet will be sufficient . …It will his trip written earlier? What could ac- port” to Fothergill suggests a second rea- be right to keep a little journal, marking the soil, situation, plants in general re- markable animals, where found, and the A Comparison of Travels and the Report to Fothergill several particulars relative to them as they Report to Dr. Fothergill cast up .” Fothergill also gave specific di- Thus having time before Night, I hasted on my Botanical excursions round about rections about what kind of comments the Camp: Observing when decending the Hills to cross the Crick, a very agree- should accompany Bartram’s botanical able fragrant smell like cloves defused about us in the air, the whole company and zoological specimens and drawings . being affected by it, I immediately concluded it must arise from some Vegitable, Fothergill’s instructions make clear that being bruised by the horses feet, I therefore designed to go in quest of it as soon one goal of the “Report”—like the goal as we came to camp; accordingly, I cross’t the Creek and began to assend the of natural history writing generally—was Hills, having attained a considerable hight, the Hills pretty steep, my feet sud- to convey a sense of place both through denly slid from under me; I catch’t hold of the sweet Calyconthus, that stretched writing about that place and through col- out a friendly bow to my relief, however in the scuffle to save myself I discovered lecting objects from that place . the lovely subject of my reserches, by the figure of the leaf & Root took it to be Bartram’s imperative to collect natural a Species of Cariophylata, but as I could find no flower or part of fructification objects points to a third characteristic of whereby to fix its tribe or family, I judged from the fragrance & clove like scent the “Report” that sets it apart from Trav- of the Root . (Library of America, p . 447) els . The “Report” was written in direct relation to botanical samples and other Travels continued on page 10 Before we left the waters of Broad River, having encamped in the evening on one of its considerable branches, and left my companions, to retire, as usual, on Stephanie Vollmer is the Managing Editor for botanical researches, on ascending a steep rocky hill, I accidentally discovered a Raritan Quarterly and a doctoral candidate in new species of caryophyllata (geum odoratissimum); on reaching to a shrub my foot the English Department at Rutgers Univer- slipped, and, in recovering myself, I tore up some of the plants, whose roots filled sity . She specializes in Eighteenth- and Nine- the air with animating scents of cloves and spicy perfumes . (Library of America, teenth- Century American Literature . She is interested in considering William’s writing pp . 59-60) in relation to that culture of transatlantic ex- change . 2 “William Bartram: an Interdisciplinary Symposium.” continued from page 1 President’s Notes world bandied many theories of the ori- Bartram Trail Conference to Lands Division have provided a model for gins the American Indians, observed Meet Near Mobile, Alabama wetlands conservation and some of the Kathryn Braund . James Adair, for ex- most dedicated conservationists around ample, proposed in the 1760s that the Kathryn H. Braund are hard at work preserving and making Indians descended from the “Ten Lost President, Bartram Trail Conference the delta available for modern travelers . Tribes of Israel,” while Bernard Romans Conference details, including speakers, thought they were indigenous . Kathryn’s et ready to float! Yes, fellow travelers, will be announced in the coming months . study of Bartram led her to conclude that our long anticipated jaunt to explore Meanwhile, mark your calendar: October Bartram avoided a dogmatic approach to theG Tensaw delta is just months away .This 26–28 . the question . He saw no signs of Europe- coming fall, the Bartram Trail Conference And speaking of dates, it is that time an architecture among the Indian nations will convene for our biennial meeting in of year again for all of us to pay our BTC that he visited .