Alexander Garden correspondence
Collection Overview
A letter (1776 Oct. 19) from Alexander Garden at Charleston, South Carolina, to John Gerar William De Brahm at Charleston contains Garden's critique of De Brahm's treatise on the balance and counterbalance of the atmosphere. A draft of a letter (1776 Oct.?) from De Brahm to Garden with additions and corrections thanks Garden for his "ingenious criticism" of his essay and answers Garden's questions about his essay. De Brahm provides detailed examples and refers to major scientists and their work.
Dates
- Creation: 1776
Creator
- De Brahm, John Gerar William, 1717-approximately 1799 (Person)
- Garden, Alexander, 1730-1791 (Person)
Access Restrictions
This collection is open for research.
Copyright Notice
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Biographical Note
South Carolina plantation owner, physician, and naturalist, after whom Karl Linnaeus named the "Gardenia." Alexander Garden married Elizabeth Peronneau (d. 1805). Garden remained loyal to the Crown, although his son, Alexander Garden (1757-1829) supported the colonial cause in the American Revolution. Garden was vice-president of the British Royal Society and died in London in 1791.
John Gerar William De Brahm (geographer, climatologist, meteorologist, navigator, surveyor, and military engineer) was a Dutch Protestant who founded the colony of Bethany in Georgia. De Brahm served as an engineer in Emperor Charles VI's army before proceeding in 1751 to Georgia with 160 Protestant Salzburgers. De Brahm is noted for his work on the first comprehensive map of South Carolina and Georgia, the improvement of fortifications in Charleston and Savannah, and the construction of forts and batteries. De Brahm married Mary Drayton of Charleston on February 18, 1776. By 1791 De Brahm resided in Philadelphia.
DeBrahm's treatise "The Levelling Balance and Counter-balance; or, the Method of Observing, by the Weight and Height of Mercury" was published in 1774.
Extent
1 folder (2 items)
Language of Materials
English
Genre / Form
Geographic
Occupation
Topical
- Title
- Inventory of the Alexander Garden Correspondence, 1776
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by: Special Collections staff; finding aid created by: Special Collections staff
- Description rules
- Dacs
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Repository
Special Collections
College of Charleston Libraries
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Charleston South Carolina 29424
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(843) 953-6319 (Fax)