164 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



has been, though the season is little more advanced than 

 at New York. In two weeks I must be again upon 

 the wing, and shall soon meet the summer. I want to 

 see the south of France and sunny Italy. Adieu. 



Tuesday evening, April 2. I intended to have had 

 time this evening to write several letters, but Decaisne 

 has been with me, and did not leave until almost 

 twelve, we had so much to talk about. I have been 

 all the morning at the Garden ; have worked very 

 hard, indeed, and have nearly finished there. To- 

 morrow is like to be a broken day, as I have made an 

 engagement to see Dr. Montagne 1 and his microscope 

 at twelve o'clock, which will take an hour or two out 

 of the very best part of the day. I will try to turn 

 the fragments of the day to some account. But now 

 good-night. 



" To each, to all, a fair good-night, 

 And pleasing dreams, and slumbers light." 



Monday evening, April 8. ... Saturday was a little 

 more diversified. I went at eight o'clock in the morn- 

 ing to Professor Richard's, 2 who lives near me, exam- 

 ined some plants of Michaux, then took my breakfast, 

 went to the Garden for three or four hours, but returned 

 at two o'clock to see the Chamber of Peers in session, 

 M. Gay having provided me with a ticket of admit- 

 tance, which procured me a very good seat. The mem- 

 bers all wear a kind of court dress, the military peers 

 swords, and those who have them display the insignia 

 of the order of the Legion of Honor, and so forth. 

 Several new peers were admitted, but before they 



1 Jean F. Camille Montagne, 1784-1865 : surgeon in the French 

 army. Retired in 1830, and devoted himself to cryptogamic botany. 



2 Achille Richard, 1794-1852 ; professor of botany in the Ecole de 

 Me*decine, Paris ; son of L. Claude Richard. 



