36 EARLY UNDERTAKINGS. [1832, 







elude me from paying any further attention to nat- 

 ural history. My friends advise me to spend a few 

 years in a milder climate, our family being predis- 

 posed to phthisis, although I am perfectly healthy 

 and robust ; and such a course would be very agree- 

 able to me, as I could combine the study of natural 

 history with the professional business which will be 

 necessary for my support. I have thought of the 

 Southern States, but I have for some time been in- 

 clined to prefer Mexico, both on account of the salu- 

 brity of its climate, and of its botanical and minera- 

 logical riches, which so far as I know have never 

 been very thoroughly explored. My object in trou- 

 bling you with all this is merely to obtain some infor- 

 mation with regard to the natural history of that 

 country. Has the country been explored by any 

 botanist since Humboldt in 1803 ? And is there still 

 room enough in that branch to repay one for devoting 

 a few years to its investigations ? 



I am young (twenty-one), without any engagements 

 to confine me to this section of country, and prefer the 

 study of botany to anything else. Although I have 

 not arrived at any positive determination, I have com- 

 menced the study of the Spanish language, and find it 

 (with the aid of Latin and French) quite easy. I 

 should be pleased to have your advice on this subject, 

 as you have many sources of information which are 

 beyond my reach. I should be highly gratified if you 

 would state to me what you think of the prospects in 

 Mexico for a person under my circumstances, and 

 whether any other section of country or any other 

 situation presents greater inducements. Under what- 

 ever circumstances I may be placed, it will be grati- 

 fying to me to continue a correspondence which has, 



