^T. 48.] TO GEORGE BENTHAM. 447 



Fendler is with you, at least in St. Louis. Short is 

 ready to advance something if he will fall to collect- 

 ing again wherever you say. Get him some appoint- 

 ment with the army at Utah. That is the place. 

 What is the good of your both being Democrats if 

 you cannot get something for it ! ! 



December 3. 



Darwin asks me to find out if you medical men 

 have ascertained or noticed any difference in liability 

 to take fevers of warm climates, say yellow fever, be- 

 tween light-corn plexioned and dark-complexioned peo- 

 ple of the Caucasian race. If you know personally 

 anything about it, or where anything is published 

 bearing on the point, kindly let me know, and oblige 

 Your old friend, ASA GRAY. 



TO GEORGE BENTHAM. 



December 13, 1858. 



Boott writes in glowing terms of your paper on 

 British flora and distribution lately read ; and I 

 hope soon to read it in the " Linnaean Journal." 



That the interchange of temperate species between 

 North America and Europe has taken place via Asia 

 is now a patent fact ; and now the whole subject, and 

 the probable explanation, begins to be clear to see. 



December 31. 



A happy New Year to you and Mrs. Bentham, and 

 many thanks for your letter promising me your paper 

 on Hongkong plants to print here. Pray give me 

 passim any notes that occur to you upon Loo Choo 

 plants, etc. I shall now soon be done with my 

 Japan studies, and shall print a paper bringing to 



