254 The Botanical Gazette. [August, 
For some reason which I am wholly at a loss to understand, 
Dr. Watson found it expedient to intimate that I have with- 
held from publication a letter on this matter written by Dr. 
Gray. The facts in this case are just these. Immediately 
before his fatal illness, Dr. Gray wrote me a long personal 
letter objecting to the course which I had taken in maintain- 
ing one of Walter’s specific names, dating from 1788, which 
was cited in Dr. Watson’s Bibliographical Index, asa synonym 
. of one published by Torrey and Gray in 1840. The citation is 
made by Dr. Watson without any question being thrown upon 
the equivalency, and I supposed it to be true, but in this let- 
ter Dr. Gray threw doubt on it, and informed me of an earlier 
specific name by Linnzus, which I took up on the next oc- 
casion I had to refer to. the species. Some time after Dr. 
Gray’s death I was requested to send this letter back to Cam- 
bridge as the physicians attendant on Dr. Gray desired to 
have a study made of the hand-writing. This I immediately 
‘did. Later I was requested to allow the letter to remain at 
eeaes, Moquin, in DC. Prodr. Xl, 2, (1849), P- 271; in Proc. 
generic name, but restored the first specific name. Dr. Gray,! 
. 
