<<, (laa at Eee 
-— 
MR. DRUMMOND'S COLLECTIONS. 
rooted plant, like an Zria, but hexandrous. 
I am glad to find that you have figured the 
species of Nuttallia,1 which I sent before; 
itis a very fine flower. I have also seen 
another, apparently quite new, and equally 
beautiful; it is perfectly smooth, inclining 
toglaucous. This is the worst country for 
insects I ever saw; the custom of burning 
the prairies probably accounts for it. I 
have procured many specimens of a curi- 
ous Lizard, found about Galveston, but I 
detain them to go with the others from 
New Orleans." 
San Felipe de Austin, Sept. 26, 1834. 
* You are, doubtless, anxious to hear 
from me, no opportunity of forwarding any 
letters to you having offered since A pril last, 
when I stated my intention of proceeding 
to the Upper Colony, as soon as possible. 
This I did, and had reached the Garrison, 
one hundred miles above this place; and 
made arrangements for joining a band of 
friendly Indians, who were going to hunt 
near the sources of Little River, one of the 
tributaries of the Rio Brazos, when the 
news that a packet of letters was here, 
which might contain instructions for my 
movements, reached me, and I returned 
hither to take them up, and, cip fe 
lost the chance of accompanying th e In- 
dians. I am sorry to say that it is OE 
impracticable to accomplish your plan for 
my reaching either the mountains or Santa 
Fé. This settlement does not extend to 
within one hundred miles of the former, and 
the intervening country is full of hostile In- 
dians, who often enter the colony, killing the 
inhabitants, and stealing their horses and 
cattle; so that a band of a dozen men are 
requisite to protect any traveller who should 
venture among them. As to Santa Fé, it 
is at an immense distance from this place, 
and there is no intercourse. From the 
towns of the Interior, there is communica- 
tion sometimes with it; but the best way 
of going thither is from St. Louis, or from 
Tampico, or Matamozos, which are fre- 
quently visited from New Or! The 
name of Linum Plotzi, (Hook. MSS.) had 
! Nattallia Papaver : see Bot. Mag. t. 2387. 
48 
better, perhaps, be changed to Berlan- 
diert, who was the person who discovered 
it. Psoralea arenosa is, in this collection, 
in fruit; with the two Coreopsides. I am 
sorry to say that I have found no insects, 
as they are very scarce in these and all the 
prairie countries, owing to the frequent 
burning of those lands, The whole country, 
from the Rio Colorado to the Guadaloup, 
a distance of eighty or ninety miles, is as 
destitute of verdure as the streets of Glas- 
gow, except some small patches along the 
creeks. After returning to San Felipe, for 
my letters, as I before stated, I joined a 
waggon which was bound for Gonzales, in 
Gaudaloup, one hundred miles distant; but 
having exposed myself to the burning sun, 
in i middle of several days, I was seized 
with bilious fever, which was nigh pro 
fatal, and has been followed by violent boils 
and a disease, here called Felon, in my 
thumb. The latter rendered my hand use- 
less for two months, and I caused the place 
to be opened, and several bits of bone to be 
removed; and some other pieces have since 
worked out, so that I have been threatened 
with the loss of my thumb; but I hope to 
escape this disaster. Were it practicable 
for me to reach the mountains, I could 
easily double the seven hundred species, 
which is the number of what I have col- 
lected in Texas." 
This is the last letter that was zeonival 
from Texes, dt 
EL 4 felt | Taai 
, were 
all dispatched from New ( Orleans. and 
proved exceedingly rich and valuable, both 
in what concerns the number and the rarity 
of the species, no less than the excellency 
of their preservation. 
New Orleans, Dec. 20, 1834. 
“ I arrived here yesterday, from Texas, 
bringing all the specimens I had collected 
last season, and a box which had been 
it prosit; whether the latter are in good 
preservation, as they are but this moment 
