sania nl coe 66 mm le ee 
ET. 59.] TO R. W. CHURCH. 601 
attenuation of the base of the flower into stipes, which 
marks the umbellata and the eriantha well, and I have 
increased the number of the sections. The species I 
have actually diminished from eighty-one to seventy- 
nine, although several had been added to those in the 
Prodromuses, and I have added half a dozen myself. 
I should have written to you long ago, but as you 
would always have news of me through Hooker, and I 
had nothing special to say, I refrained. It is alwaysa 
pleasure to hear from you, and I have no idea that our 
long correspondence should drop. I should have seen 
more of you and Mrs. Bentham (and my wife, too, 
regretted much), but you were much laid up with 
that sciatica, and we were dreadfully pressed at the 
last. Could we have had this winter in England, as 
we had at first hoped, it would have been well. 
Torrey made me a visit in January; is well and 
happy, except that he gets only odds and ends of time 
for botany, and so cannot do anything to much pur- 
pose. The Eriogonex being a pet group of his, and 
his old sketches very useful in my elaboration, I have 
joined his name to my own in the paper lam now 
printing. 
At the wonderful rate you are going on you will 
soon complete the “Flora Australiensis.” Happy and 
fortunate man that you are, both in the faculty of 
accomplishing work and in having your whole time for 
just what you want to do. 
TO R. W. CHURCH. 
Campripce, Mass., U. S., February 15, 1870. 
My pear Cuurcu, — My good wife has just handed 
me these sheets for Mrs. Church, and if it were not 
just on post-morning I should gossip with you, I sup- 
