.BT. 37.] TO JOHN TORRE Y. 359 



has enjoyed it much, except the drawback of not see- 

 ing Mrs. T. and the girls and yourself at home, which 

 she greatly wished. . . . 



Now as to Exploring Expedition. We wUl talk it 

 over in fxdl when you come on here toward the end of 

 this month. 



Suffice it to say (as I am pressed for time) that I 

 had made up my mind what I would do it for before 

 I left home ; that on looking over the collection, as to 

 various parts of it, as far as time allowed, I found it 

 less ample than I supposed, but with many difficulties 

 owing to specimens in fruit only, or flower only. I 

 think it no very awful job, if done in the way I pro- 

 pose, which is, not by monographs by people abroad, 

 which the committee will not agree to, but by work- 

 ing up a part abroad in Hooker's, or Bentham's, or 

 Garden of Plants herbarium. 



The chairman of the committee and Wilkes be- 

 haved very well, and told me they were very desirous 

 I should take it up. 



On Friday evening Wilkes came in, before we went 

 to the President's ; asked me to say what I would do. 

 I told him at once what I would do (just what I had 

 told J. before we left Cambridge), and Wilkes at once 

 accepted my terms, as I supposed he would. My terms 

 were based on the supposition that there is five years' 

 work in preparing for the press the collections left on 

 hand, and in superintending the printing. . . . 



We must settle together the typographical form of 

 the work, etc., when you come, and we wiU make the 

 other writers conform to the plan we agree on, which 

 perhaps you have already fixed. 



Now I want a careful and active curator. What 

 young botanist can I get ? . . . 



