^ET. 59.] TO R. W. CHURCH. 601 



attenuation of the base of the flower into stipes, which 

 marks the umbellata and the eriantha well, and I have 

 increased the number of the sections. The species I 

 have actually diminished from eighty-one to seventy- 

 nine, although several had been added to those in the 

 Prodromuses, and I have added half a dozen myself. 



I should have written to you long ago, but as you 

 would always have news of me through Hooker, and I 

 had nothing special to say, I refrained. It is always a 

 pleasure to hear from you, and I have no idea that our 

 long correspondence should drop. I should have seen 

 more of you and Mrs. Bentharn (and my wife, too, 

 regretted much), but you were much laid up with 

 that sciatica, and we were dreadfully pressed at the 

 last. Could we have had this winter in England, as 

 we had at first hoped, it would have been well. 



Torrey made me a visit in January ; is well and 

 happy, except that he gets only odds and ends of time 

 for botany, and so cannot do anything to much pur- 

 pose. The Eriogoneae being a pet group of his, and 

 his old sketches very useful in my elaboration, I have 

 joined his name to my own in the paper I am now 

 printing. 



At the wonderful rate you are going on you will 

 soon complete the "Flora Australiensis." Happy and 

 fortunate man that you are, both in the faculty of 

 accomplishing work and in having your whole time for 

 just what you want to do. 



TO R. W. CHURCH. 



CAMBRIDGE, MASS., U. S., February 15, 1870. 



MY DEAR CHURCH, My good wife has just handed 

 me these sheets for Mrs. Church, and if it were not 

 just on post-morning I should gossip with you, I sup- 



