^T. 73.] ^ TO SIR EDWARD FRY. 757 



with friends in the heart of the city, — a city which 

 never cools at night, as it does hereabouts. I bore the 

 heat well, as my manner is ; Mrs. Gray, fairly, by 

 keeping quiet through the mornings and giving her- 

 self rather to the evening receptions, which were fine 

 and most admirably managed. It grew cooler the 

 moment the week was over and the session ended. 

 Besides, we moved at once into a cooler region. It 

 was arranged that I should lead any British botanists 

 that cared to go on an excursion into the mountains of 

 Virginia and Carolina. But they were otherways 

 bound, so that I could take only my friend Mr. John 

 Ball of London, your fellow F. R. S., taking also 

 another American botanist, with whom we had visited 

 these regions more than once before, and, to make it 

 pleasanter, we added three ladies, wives and daugh- 

 ters of botanists, Mrs. Gray being one. 



Our first day's journey was to Luray, in the Valley 

 of Virginia, between the Blue Ridge and the proper 

 Alleghanies. The next day we visited the Cavern, 

 which I think is the finest in the world, not forgetting 

 that of Adelsberg in Styria. It is newly discovered, 

 with wonderfid wealth and beauty of stalactical for- 

 mations, and is lighted up for visitors with electrical 

 lights in all the larger chambers. That day we went 

 on to the Natural Bridge, which we had not seen for 

 many years. It was grander than I had remembered ; 

 indeed, it and the scenery around is worth a voyage 

 and a journey to see. Then we went on to our favor- 

 ite Roan Mountain, on the borders of North Caro- 

 lina and Tennessee, one of the highest in the Atlantic 

 United States, and the finest ; the base and sides 

 richly wooded with large deciduous forest trees in un- 

 usual variety even for this country, the ample grassy 



