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tears for her. It was hard parting with her at her 
time of life. 
I thank you most sincerely for your very enter- 
taining letter of the 21st of October. Your account 
of the morals of Paris is just what every one who 
lives with his eyes open and w// see, has given me ; 
so that that does not tempt me to cross the water. 
But I could give one of my eyes almost to be 
with you, and join you in turning over Tournefort’s 
rich herbarium. Iam sorry to find that you leave 
any behind to examine at your return: I am always 
fearful of something or other happening or inter- 
vening which will draw off the attention from pur- 
suing a labour, once deserted, to the end; and here 
I would say, that I hope you will find time to go 
regularly through Vaillant’s herbarium. What if 
it should detain you a week or two longer; it will 
be better to seize the opportunity which now offers, 
and perhaps will never return, than after you have 
returned to England, to sit down all your life re- 
gretting that you had not completed your view. 
On this account also I hope you will describe every 
thing in Tournefort’s herbarium that appears new ; 
it can be easily thrown away if you should find 
yourself in a mistake: and for this purpose I 
should again wish you not to be impatient of any 
loss of time; or rather I should say of a longer 
employment of time. In Italy, if you can make it 
convenient, you would certainly be repaid in ex- 
amining Allioni’s collections. Do you mean to come 
through Switzerland: If you do, try for a view of 
Haller’s cabinet. 
