The Correspondence of Schweinitz and Torrey 
EpiItED BY C. L. SHEAR AND NEIL E. STEVENS 
(WITH PLATES 6 AND 7 AND THREE TEXT FIGURES) 
INTRODUCTION 
The two dominating figures in American botany during the 
early part of the nineteenth century were for more than a decade 
close friends and correspondents. Such of their letters to each 
other as are known to be extant, seventy-one in all, are here 
published practically entire, the only omissions being long lists of 
desiderata or accessions upon which no comment is made and 
which could be of use only to investigators working critically 
upon Torrey’s or Schweinitz’s herbaria, to whom the original 
letters are available. The letters are transcribed with but little 
alteration. Taken collectively, they furnish what is probably 
the most complete available record of the personal relations of 
these two American botanists. 
Those who know Torrey only through his published work may 
be surprised at his early resolution to devote most of his time to the 
study of mosses, and no book-lover can fail to be amused at his 
good-natured irritation at paying ‘'$18.02”’ freight and duties 
on a box which contained for him only one book—one which he 
could not read. There may be historic value too in the fact 
that even a century ago the zealous household broom was con- 
and it is apparent that as much 
d 
sidered an “enemy of science,’ 
consternation was then caused in the botanical fraternity when a 
leading botanist showed interest in mineralogy as is now aroused 
when a cytologist diverts toward plant breeding. 
-As fairly comprehensive biographical sketches are available 
(see Britton, 13; Gray, 25; Shear and Stevens, 77; and Thurber, 
85), little biographical detail is introduced. The publication of the 
letters was made possible by the cooperation of three American 
scientific organizations and several individuals. Permission to 
publish the letters was generously granted by Dr. N. L. Britton, 
119 
