﻿Three Editions of Marc/s Report on the Red River of Louisiana, 



By Frederick -V. Coville. 



My attention 



Mr. J. W 



ship to the fact that there are in existence three editions of Cap- 



Marcv 



85 



Of the three editions one was published in the year 1853 as 

 Senate Executive Document No. 54, 33d Congress, Second Ses- 

 sion. Both the other two editions were published in 1854, one as 

 a Senate Executive Document, without number, 33d Congress, 

 First Session, the other as a House Executive Document, without 

 number, 33d Congress, First Session. For convenience these 

 editions may be referred to repectively as Senate, 1853; Senate, 



1854; and House, 1854. 



All three editions contain Captain Marcy's own report followed 

 by eight appendices of which the seventh, appendix G, consists of 

 the botany of the expedition by Dr. John Torrey. Plates num- 

 bered from 1 to 20 accompany the botanical report and in all three 

 editions plate 18, which, according to the explanation of plates, 



lopl 



There is nothing in the 



text of any of the editions to suggest the reason for this omission ; 

 for though Abronia cycloptera is not mentioned in the body of the 

 appendix the same is true of Geranium Frcmontii, Xanthisnia Tcx- 

 anum, and Heliotropium tenelhtm, all of which, however, are 



figured. 



The Senate 1853 edition is clearly, as its date and its sequence 

 in the Executive Documents would indicate, the one first pub- 

 lished, the publisher according to the title page being Robert Arm- 

 strong. The plates accompanying the botanical report were litho- 

 graphed by Ackerman of New York, as was also the principal 

 map accompanying the report. The botanical appendix, exclusive 

 of its half title and Dr. Torrey' s letter of transmittal, begins on 

 page 280 and extends to page 302, followed by an explanation of 



the plates. 



( 1 66 ) 



