COOL ORCHIDS. 99 
amounting to $100, which Mr. Kromer had to pay, 
and also an export tax duty of 2 cents per piece. 
So that orchid collecting is made a very expensive 
affair. Besides its success being very doubtful, 
even if a man is very well acquainted with Indian 
life and has visited the Savannah reaches year after 
year. We spent something over $2500 to $2900, 
including Mr. Kromer’s and Steigfer’s passage out, 
on our last expedition. 
If you want to get any Lawrenceana, you will 
have to send yourself, and as I said before, the 
results will be very doubtful. As far as I myself 
am concerned, I am interested besides my baking 
business, in the gold-diggings, and shall go up to 
the Savannah in a few months. I can give you 
first-class references if you should be willing to 
send an expedition, and we could come to some 
arrangement; at least, you would save the ex- 
penses of the passage of one of your collectors. 
I may say that I am quite conversant with the 
way of packing orchids and handling them as well 
for travel as shipment. 
Kindly excuse, therefore, my lengthy letter and 
its bad writing. And if you should be inclined to 
go in for an expedition, just send mea list of what 
you require, and I will tell you whether the plants 
are found along the route of travel and in the 
H 2 
