136 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



of use. His other matters I will take in hand, but 

 he must not expect i20 to procure a doublet ^\-*^ 

 inch focus, two micrometer glasses, and a case of dis- 

 secting instruments. I have some engagements before 

 me with microscopical people, and when I get from 

 them all the information I can, I wiU set about these 

 affairs more understandingly. . . . 



Saturday evening, February 9. — I have been en- 

 gaged nearly the whole day uj)on the herbarium you 

 so mtich wished to examine, viz., that of Walter. I 

 have not yet finished it, and find the examination very 

 tedious, as the specimens are very often not labeled, 

 except with the genus in his "Flora," so that I have 

 first to make out his own species, and then what they 

 are of succeeding authors. 



The specimens are mostly mere bits, pasted down in 

 a huge folio volume. I suspect this was done by 

 Fraser, and the labels have sometimes been exchanged, 

 so that it requires no little patience. Some of the 

 things I most wished to see are not in the collection, 

 and there are several in the collection which are not 

 mentioned in the "Flora." You would laugh to see 

 what some of the things are that have puzzled us : 

 thus, for instance, his " Cucubalus polypetalus " is 

 Saponaria officinalis ! His " Dianthus Carolinianus " 

 is Frasera ! in fruit. I will soon send you my notes 

 on the collection, or a copy of them. Bentham looked 

 over the Leguminosse, Labiatse, etc., with me. I have 

 had two sittings at Pursh, but have not yet finished ; 

 I hope another day will do it, but am not certain. 

 I shall still require about three days more at the Brit- 

 ish Museum, two at the Linnsean Society, and one at 

 Lindley's. An evening or two at Bentham's will suf- 

 fice to certify his Labiatse, Scrophularinae, etc. I must 



