MICHAUX, F. A.; LAMBERT, B. (trans.)
Title continues: "in the States of the Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee, and Return to Charlestown, through the Upper Carolinas; Containing details on the present state of agriculture and the natural productions of these countries; as well as information relative to the commercial connections of these states with those situated to the eastward of the mountains and with lower Louisiana. Undertaken in the year X, 1802, under the auspices of His Excellency M. Chaptal, Minister of the Interior. With a very correct map of the States in the centre, west and south of the United States." First published in Paris in 1804, Michaux's classic narrative relates his travels west of the Allegheny Mountains. The author is most famous as a botanist and author of North American Sylva. His 1800-mile journey began when he, in the company of Jean Chaptal, sailed for America and arrived at Charleston, South Carolina, October 9, 1801. He had been instructed to close down a nursery founded by his father, Andrew Michaux, at Charleston for economic reasons, and he sent back to France the seedlings he thought worthy of cultivation. In the spring of 1802 he began travels in other parts of the United States before returning to France at the end of 1803 and organizing the shipments of plants and seeds he sent back. In this travelogue, Michaux comments on the various botanical specimens he observes, as well as wildlife, commerce, viticulture in Kentucky, Cherokees in Tennessee, and much more. The large, detailed map provides an excellent view of the East Coast, Southeast, and Midwest at the time. Howes M-579. Sabin 48704.
