146 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



vast and splendid cathedral. But I must bid you 

 good-night, purposing to rise early and have an hour 

 or so before the pressing business of the day is com- 

 menced to write another sheet to you and our good 

 Dr. Torrey, to whom I have so much to say, if I could 

 ever find time for it. 



Friday. — I have been to-day at the British Mu- 

 seum, studying from the specimens of Plukenet, 

 Catesby, Miller, etc., etc., the authority for old Lin- 

 nsean species in Ilex, Prinos, Eupatorium, etc. It is 

 slow and tedious work, and I shall not have time to do 

 so much of it as I could wish. Brown told me to-day 

 about Petalanthera. It is Cevallis, Lagasca, Hortus 

 Matritensis, and very probably his species, even C. 

 sinuata. It came from New Spain. You will see Lind- 

 ley is aU astray about the genus, and no one knows its 

 affinities even, but Brown. Lagasca himself refers it 

 to Boraginese. It is true Loasese. I was this even- 

 ing at Bentham's, and found he had a specimen of C. 

 sinuata from Hooker, collected by Brydges in Mexico, 

 I think. I have asked Brown to give us some notes 

 on the subject, a generic character, etc., that we may 

 publish a little from his own pen. I am to spend a 

 day with him next week, and I will try to get some- 

 thing out of him. He hinted to me some days ago 

 that he knew something about Cyrilla, but I could 

 not get it out of him. I'll try again. He tells me 

 he has a character to distinguish true Rhexia, which 

 has escaped Don, De Candolle, etc. We must find it 

 out. Bentham has given me his " ScrophularisB Indi- 

 cse," and the three last parts of his " Labiatse ; " I 

 have bought the rest (£1 2s. 6d.), and last evening we 

 looked over his North American specimens, and the 

 notes in his copy. He gave me also, the other day, the 



