;et. 31.] TO W. J. HOOKER. 285 



instruction and lecturing in botany, and to the super- 

 intendence generally of the Botanic Garden (which 

 they wish to renovate) ; limiting for the present your 

 annual salary to one thousand dollars ; " thus enabling 

 me, as the communication proceeds to say, to devote 

 aU my time at present to my favorite pursuit, and to 

 go on with the labors I have in hand. I have reason 

 to hope, also, that by the time they are ready to give 

 me the full salary, the zoological part will be separated 

 from the professorship, with a distinct endowment. 

 The Botanic Garden has an endowment of $20,000. 

 If I should take this place, I should hope to see it 

 better endowed before long, and should immediately 

 set about the introduction of all the hardy trees and 

 shrubs, — and indeed to enrich it as fast as possible 

 with aU the American and other plants that could be 

 procured. In that case, separated from yourself by 

 only fourteen to eighteen days' navigation, I coiild 

 hope to be a useful correspondent to you at Kew, 

 and to show my gratitude for your continued kindness 

 to me. I must here conclude, by stating that the 

 president's letter to me is to be deemed confidential, 

 in case I do not accept the offer. I must therefore 

 beg you to consider this letter likewise confidential, 

 until you hear further from me, which you may ex- 

 pect to do as soon as anything is settled in regard to 

 this matter. I am the less reluctant to leave New 

 York since our good friend Dr. Torrey is at Prince- 

 ton, New Jersey (only four hours from New York), 

 renting his house in town, where for the present 

 he will only remain during the winter. We have 

 worked so long together that I shall feel the separa- 

 tion greatly. 



