Travels
As the 18th century came to a close, botanists who hunted plants afar were adventurers and explorers, John Fraser among them, fielding shipwrecks, sieges, slavery, pirates, escaped convicts and hostile natives. Fraser travelled extensively, from Scotland to England, the Americas, the West Indies, Russia, and points between. He began by collecting in Newfoundland from 1780 to 1783 or 1784, and then moved on to the Appalachian Mountains in eastern North America, all without the benefit of railroads or well-established highways. By the time he completed his journeys, John Fraser had introduced about 220 distinct species of plants from the Americas to Europe and beyond.
Read more about this topic: John Fraser (botanist)
Famous quotes containing the word travels:
“In all my travels I never met with any one Scotchman but what was a man of sense: I believe everybody of that country that has any, leaves it as fast as they can.”
—Francis Lockier (1668–1740)
“Evil counsel travels fast.”
—Sophocles (497–406/5 B.C.)
“... forgotten signs
all bringing the soul’s travels to a place
of origin, a well
under the lake where the Muse moves.”
—Denise Levertov (b. 1923)