388 SECOND JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1851, 



been making a visit at Kew), and other scientific 

 friends, were there. Among other discussions in one 

 of the sections was one on the possibility of a railroad 

 to the Pacific, a paper by Asa Whitney, " which had 

 been brought before the Geographical Society in 

 London, and reported on favorably." 



From Ipswich he made a most interesting visit to 

 Lady Hooker's father, Dawson Turner, seeing his 

 very valuable collections, autographs, pictures, etc., 

 and returning to Kew to work until breaking up to 

 go back to America. A short trip was made in Ire- 

 land, and Dr. Gray went to Pontrilas to say good- 

 by to Mr. and Mrs. Bentham, immediately before the 

 voyage. Dr. and Mrs. Gray were again at home, 

 September 4. 



After Dr. Gray's return from Europe, his busy life 

 went on, filled with college work and the care of the 

 Garden as accompaniments to a study of the new col- 

 lections constantly coming in, the work on the Explor- 

 ing Expedition, the keeping his various botanical 

 text-books in their new editions up with the advan- 

 cing science, and his always large correspondence. 

 His letters were chiefly on the questions upon which 

 he was working, but with many touches on events 

 of interest of the day, and little playful turns. He 

 says in a letter to Dr. Engelmann, " I well know 

 I have too many irons in the fire." 



Unfortunately, Mr. Darwin destroyed all the letters 

 he received before 1862, except the one published in 

 his " Life and Letters," which is inserted later, as 

 well as one to Sir Joseph Hooker taken from the 

 same volume. The rest of those to Sir Joseph are 

 mostly bound up in the botanical correspondence at 

 Kew. 



