

To His Excellency Gov. Briggs : 

 Dear Sir, — 



The accompanying Report concludes the work of the Com- 

 missioners on the Zoological and Botanical Survey of the State. 

 It has been prepared with especial reference to the instructions 

 of Gov. Everett, accompanying his commission, and directing 

 the Commissioners "to keep carefully in view the economical 

 relations of every subject of their inquiry." I trust it may do 

 something "to promote the agricultural benefit of the Common- 

 wealth," by leading citizens who are land owners to a consider- 

 ation of the importance of continuing, improving, and enlarging 

 the forests of the State. 



It is due to the Legislature, and to yourself, that I should 

 make some apology for the tardy appearance of my Report. It 

 is well known to your Excellency, that ever since the commis- 

 sion was issued, in 1S37, I have been occupied, for ten months 

 of every year, in a pursuit which left me no leisure for the Sur- 

 vey, and little for reading, on subjects connected with it. I 

 have, therefore, been able to give to it only the summer vacation, 

 and of that a considerable portion has, every year, been neces- 

 sarily taken up with other things. Under these circumstances, 

 it was hardly possible for me to give to the Survey the attention 

 it deserved, and let my Report appear at an earlier period. 



I am, respectfully, 



Your Excellency's friend and servant, 



GEO. B. EMERSON. 



September 19, 1846. 



