136 THE CORRESPONDENCE OF SCHWEINITZ AND TORREY 
TORREY TO SCHWEINITZ 
New York, March 22nd 1821. 
L. D. ScHWEINITz Eso. 
Salem, N. C. 
Dear Sir 
Although your highly acceptable letter has been received 
nearly two months it has not been in my power to answer you 
according to my wishes until now. I was desirous of making 
some observations on the very choice collection of plants you 
had the kindness to send me, & this required more time than I 
could, until lately, spare. Mr. Nuttall, who was on a visit to this 
city a short time since, examined the collection with me, & our 
observations I shall give you below. I wished also to have it in 
my power to give you notice of another box of plants which will 
be ready to send to Petersburg in two or three days. 
I thank you sincerely for your remarks on my Cryptogamia 
& hope you have found sufficient among them to reward you 
for the trouble they occasioned you. You do not agree always with 
Sprengel to whom I have at different times sent many of the speci- 
mens I send you. You will see below in what you differ. Indeed 
this great diversity in opinion among equally great botanists al- 
most discourages me from pursuing the study of the Cryptogamia. 
I often find as many different names given to the same plant as 
persons to whom I send it. Tis true Tetraphis pellucida, Dicranum 
scoparium & such well marked species are not in this predicament, 
but in the genus Hypnum, Lecidea, Thelephora &c. &c. I seldom 
find two botanists to agree on a name. With all deference how- 
ever to the learned Professor of Halle, I often differ from him 
in opinion & would ask of you whether his sight does not begin to 
fail him.—I am not jesting. 
It gives me great pleasure to hear that we are at last in hopes 
of having a Cryptogamic flora of the United States. You are prob- 
ably in possession of a greater quantity of materials for this 
purpose than any other person in this country. I hope you are well 
acquainted with all the species which Muhlenberg mentions in his 
catalogue [52]. Did you correspond with him? He has some 
species whose names I can not find in my books. You may de- 
pend on receiving everything from me which will be of any assist- 
