420 CORRESPONDENCE. [1855, 
book ; for I bought a copy of Masson in Paris, to 
read on the voyage, when, I could have more leisure 
than at home. And I carefully read it then (after 
having dispatched Hooker and Thomson’s “ Flora 
Indica”) up as far as to p. 1087, when I was obliged 
by the close of the voyage to break off, at a very in- 
teresting point; and I cannot yet resume the reading. 
I cannot sufficiently express my profound admiration 
of this book, so thorough and conscientious, so capital 
in its method, and embodying such a vast amount of 
facts well discussed ; it might well be the work of a 
long life. I have marked in many places points on 
which I may have a word to say, sometimes little de- 
tails to add or correct, sometimes a criticism to hazard. 
If time (which is now precious to me) permit, I 
will write a series of articles on it for “ Silliman’s 
Journal,’ which will serve to make the work gener- 
ally known to our people, and in which I can insert 
any commentaries I have time and room for. One 
article I will devote to plants introduced into this 
country from Europe. Now that you have so well col- 
lected and digested the principal information, it will 
be easy to complete and correct some points; and this 
may be useful to you hereafter, as well as to me. . . « 
I will procure from Dr. Harris any information he 
has collected about the potato, which, if Raleigh took 
it from Virginia to England, must have been brought 
to Virginia from South America. It was certainly 
unknown to our aborigines, who, however, along with 
maize, cultivated beans (Phaseoli) and squashes (Cu- 
curbite). 
Dr. Hooker had written to me, eulogizing your work 
in the — terms. I missed seeing him when in 
England 
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