The collection contains letters that are entirely botanical in nature, coming from 55 individuals, and presents a cross section of the botanists and their problems in the early 19th century. There is significant correspondence from Henry Muhlenberg (1753-1815), Frederick Augustus Hall Muhlenberg, Stephen Elliott (1771-1830) and Dr. Jacob Bigelow (1787-1879), as well as many other important botanists of the era. The collection is arranged in six series.

The first series, "Academy information on the collection," contains two indexes of the correspondence, created by Academy staff. While all of the information is valuable to users of the collection, the Botanical correspondence calender found in Box 1, Folder 1 is the most important. This document contains item level description of each letter in the collection, detailing author, date, location, and abstract of content. Researchers should view this folder prior to using any part of the collection.

The series "Correspondence with Reverend Henry Muhlenberg" contains sixty letters dating from 1812 to 1815. Henry Muhlenberg (1753-1815), a minister and botanist "to whom American botany has been so much indebted," (Redfield) collected a herbarium about which he and Collins correspondended. Researchers should view Box 1, Folder 1 for details on individual letters.

The series "Correspondence with F. A. Muhlenberg" contains correspondence regarding the transfer of his father's herbarium to the American Philosophical Society and dates from 1815 to 1816. This correspondence follows the death of his father, Henry Muhlenberg, in 1815. Frederick Augustus Hall Muhlenberg was a physician. Researchers should view Box 1, Folder 1 for details on individual letters.

"Correspondence with Stephen Elliott" dates from 1813 to 1821. Stephen Elliott (1771-1830) was a botanist, a legislator and a farmer from South Carolina. He wrote an important text on American botany, A Sketch of the Botany of South-Carolina and Georgia, which was published as two volumes in 1821 and 1824. Elliot corresponded not only with Collins, but also with Muhlenberg. Researchers should view Box 1, Folder 1 for details on individual letters.

The fifth series "Correspondence with Dr. Jacob Bigelow of Boston," dates from 1814 to 1818. Dr. Jacob Bigelow (1787-1879) was a botanist and a physician and a professor at Harvard University. He was the author of An Introduction to Physiological & Systematical Botany, 1814; Florula bostoniensi, 1814 and 1824; and American Medical Botany, three volumes, 1817-1820. Researchers should view Box 1, Folder 1 for details on individual letters.

"Correspondence with various botanists and organizations," dates from 1814 to 1827, and consists of one or two letters from various botanists and organizations. The organizations are local to Philadelphia and include the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia and the American Philosophical Society. Individual botanist with whom he correspondence include William Baldwin, W. P. C. Barton, William Bartram, John A. Brereton, Adolphe Brongniart, Archibald Bruce, Isaac Cleaver, R. Conyngham, Thomas Cooper, José Correia da Serra, J. Cryder; William Darlington, Daniel Drake, J. Duby, Caspar Wistar Eddy, George Gibbs, Horace H. Hayden, Charles G. Hiffell, William J. Hooker, David Hosack, Alex von Humboldt, Jabez Hustis, Eli Ives, W. H. Keating, Matthias Joseph Kelly, John Eatton LeConte, John S. Lowry, John Lyon, Jas. MacBride, F. Andrew Michaux, Samuel L. Mitchill, Alfred S. Monson, Thomas Nuttall, Daniel Parker, E. L. Philip, J. K. Potts, Constantine Samuel Rafinesque, William Rauch, L. D. Schweintz, Benjamin Silliman, H. Steinhauer, W. E. Stuve, William Swainson, John Torrey, William Turner, John Vaughan, Jas. W. Wallace, and N. Wallich. Researchers should view Box 1, Folder 1 for details on individual letters.

According to Mr. Redfield, "it cannot be expected that these letters of sixty years ago can add any new botanical facts to our stock; but they have great interest as illustrating the early history of botanical science in our land, and as revealing to us the obstacles which the students of that day encountered in the scarcity of books and it the difficulty of communication."

Bibliography:

Redfield, Mr. “Botanical Correspondence of Zaccheus Collins.” Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, Vol. 28 (1876), pp. 81-82.