RECOLLECTIONS, 1837-40. 25 



men of vegetation that ono can put between two sheets 

 of paper and dry it. Nevertheless it took me over two 

 months, and a considerable number of sheets of paper 

 and ink, with all the quintessence of my rhetoric, before 

 I could press it. Many will think I knew something 

 about it before my finding. No ! nothing at all. Not 

 even its vernacular name ; and in less than two hours 

 after my discovery of this rara avis it had flown to- 

 ward the north pole, Albany. When I heard of that 

 flight I thought I had been mystified, and yet I 

 thought I had been able to read the inner nature of my 

 plant. So I had. I found it thereafter, to my jubila- 

 tion. But since Oh, Phanerogyne ! ! of half 



of my life, of my soul ! once more ! adieu ! adieu 

 forever ! adieu pour tou jours ! Yale seternum !!..., 

 .... Here ends the second phase of my life. 



On the 30th of October, 1840, I started for Albany, 

 following the track of my plant, my rara avis, or my 

 phanerogyne as you please. For me these three appel- 

 lations suit me. On the 3 1st of October I got fast 

 bound in the chains of marriage. Then on the same 

 day we left Albany on the steamboat, where, for the 

 beginning of my honeymoon we had to separate to 

 divorce. There were no state rooms yet. Ladies 

 stopped on the upper deck and men had to go down. 

 When, in the morning we arrived at New York, Mr. 



