and, afforded
to Mr. Bartram much gratification in his botanical pursuits; and, at the
termination of his residence here, he set out with a party of traders,
who were about to proceed to the upper parts of the river. The traders,
with their goods in a large boat, went first, and Mr. Bartram, in his
little vessel, followed them. The day was pleasant, and the wind fair
and moderate. In the evening they arrived at _Mount Royal_, a house
belonging to a Mr. Kean. This place was surrounded by magnificent groves
of orange-trees, oaks, palms, and magnolias; and commanded a most
enchanting view of the great Lake George, about two miles distant.

_Lake George_ is a beautiful piece of water, a dilatation of the river
St. John, and about fifteen miles wide. It is ornamented with two or
three fertile islands. Mr. Bartram landed, and passed the night on one
of them; and he found, growing upon it, many curious flowering shrubs, a
new and beautiful species of convolvulus, and some other species of
plants, which he had never before seen.

A favourable gale enabled the voyagers, towards the close of the ensuing
day, to enter the river at the southern extremity of the lake. Here they
found a safe and pleasant harbour, in a most desirable situation.
Opposite to them was a vast cypress swamp, environed by a border of
grassy marshes; and, around the harbour, was a grove of oaks, palm,
magnolia, and orange-trees. The bay was, in some places, almost covered
with the leaves of a beautiful water-lily, the large, sweet-scented
yellow flowers of which grew two or three feet above the surface of the
water. A great number of fine trout were caught, by fishing, with a hook
and line, near the edges of the water-lilies; and many wild turkeys and
deer were seen in the vicinity of this place.

On the ensuing day the party reached a trading-house, called _Spalding's
upper Store_, where Mr. Bartram resided for several weeks. Being
afterwards desirous of continuing his travels and observations higher up
the river, and, having received an invitation to visit a plantation, the
property of an English gentleman, about sixty miles distant, he resolved
to pursue his researches to that place. For several miles the left bank
of the river had numerous islands of rich swamp land. The opposite coast
was a perpendicular cliff ten or twelve feet high: this was crowned by
trees and shrubs, which, in some places, rendered the scenery extremely
beautiful. The straight tr