181 



Flora Telluriana and the New Flora had been completed. The 

 last sentence refers to Rafinesque's Alsographia Americana, 

 which was dated 1838, and from his own statement above was 

 probably issued in December of that year. 



The extracts from Rafinesque's letters show that few, if indeed 

 any, copies of either the Flora Telluriana or the New Flora had 

 been actually distributed until three parts of each had been 

 printed (in the spring of 1838); but, as he says in the letter of 

 October 24, 1837, " I have circulated but few copies of the num- 

 bers published," we must give him the benefit of the doubt, and 

 assume that he had distributed a few copies. 



Rafinesque's Bulletin of the Historical and Natural Sciences 

 was an advertising sheet issued by him at irregular intervals from 

 1834 to 1839. No. 7, dated "Spring of 1838," is devoted 

 chiefly to the two works here under discussion. He says in part : 

 " I had long contemplated to give a New Flora of North America. 

 ... I resolved ... to add the improvements on Natural class- 

 ification. These last, however, increased so much under my re- 

 vision, as to become a work by itself, and a companion rather 

 than addition to our Flora. Both works were begun in 1836, 

 and our plants would all have been published by this time, if I 

 had not thus been compelled to double these botanical labors. I 

 once proposed to issue the whole at once when completed, but 

 this delay and others arising from different pursuits and labors, 

 have induced me to publish the parts a^soon as printed, and now 

 that 3 parts of each (being half a volume,) are published, I issue 

 this Bulletin to acquaint the Botanists of Europe and America 

 with" them. " Each work is to consist of 6 parts of 100 to 120 

 pages, thus forming a volume large octavo of 600 to 700 pages, 

 which shall be completed in 1840 or sooner. . . . The 6 parts 

 now printed, 3 of each work, will be sold together for ^5." 



The dates of the two works under discussion, as nearly as they 

 can be determined from the evidence here submitted, may be 

 summarized as follows : 



New Flora Part I. 1836 (December). 



n. 1837 (second half). 

 HI. 1838 (first quarter). 

 IV. 1838 (late in year). 



