694 TRAVEL IN EUROPE AND AMERICA. [1880, 



TO A. DE CANDOLLE. 



CAMBRIDGE, January 1, 1880. 



MY DEAR DE CANDOLLE, Though I have entered 

 on the seventieth year of my age, I hold out well, and 

 when other cares do not interrupt, I go on with -the 

 " Compositae," yet all too slowly. Before I print them 

 I shall hope to have another inspection of some of the 

 species of the " Prodromus " in your herbarium ; per- 

 haps before this year 1880 is out, yet it is rather doubt- 

 ful. I get on slowly, and then Mr. Watson, who will 

 have the " Flora of California " off his hands as soon 

 as he can get the manuscript of the " Gramineae " out 

 of Professor Thurber's hands, must have a vacation 

 ramble, probably to Oregon. If he leaves here in 

 the spring, I must wait his return here in the autumn, 

 or at most cannot leave home until after midsummer ; 

 too late to render myself at Geneva, I suppose. 



Much of my time of the last few months has been 

 occupied with the details of building a small addition 

 to our herbarium building to contain the botanical 

 library. It is just finished, and the books will now 

 be moved into it in a few days. . . . 



My health is excellent. Let us hope the same for 

 you, and offer my best wishes for the year 1880. 



Dr. Gray delivered in the winter of 1880 two lec- 

 tures to the theological school of Yale College, on 

 Natural Science and Religion. 



They were long and carefully thought out, and he 

 had great pleasure in speaking to an audience who 

 followed him so closely, and evidently with such atten- 

 tive sympathy. 



He also enjoyed very much reading them, before 

 delivery, to his friend Dr. O. W. Holmes, in Boston. 



