Alphonse de Candolle 



Rec.March 2 1 , 1874 Ans. March 1 3, 1 875 



Geneva, March 3, 1876 



My Dear Colleague, 



A long time ago 1 received the journal Transactions of the Academy of St. Louis that I had requested from you, 

 and more recently the one of the Yucca. The seeds are worth taking care of. As I do not have much room in my 

 home I sent them to Mr. Boissier who will take them to the shore. 



Last October 1 asked the éditorial Masson to send you the Volume # XVII and the last one of the Prodromus. 

 After this I sent you through the mail an article of mine titled. Reflections on Writings in General,etc. 



I recall the package very well, that you left at my home, when you departed Geneva. It stayed on the table for a 

 few weeks. Then you asked me to send it somewhere, but I can't remember where! I think that you told me to 

 send it to Paris, where you would get it before leaving for America. I believe the message came from Reuter. I 

 asked Mr. Boissier if he knew this and he told me he did not. In my correspondence I found nothing I 

 remember very well having had this package and having sent it to yoù in Europe, as you asked me to. It is 

 unfortunate that I don't remember where or through what route. If I recall, the package was wrapped as if it 

 were going on a long trip.Perhaps it was sent through Reuter? I looked for the remittance slip but could not find 

 it. Someone who you sent, came to tell me to send it again in this or that manner. 



I think it is a good idea for you to continue the study of the Quercus. They are beautiful trees and in America 

 they are most interesting. The paleontologists do not like the division according to the maturation and the 

 ovules. One understands why: they say that it is not natural, and do not agrée with the characteristics of the 

 species. This is quite true, but if exteriorly they are not natural or visible, then one has to classify the species in 

 a less appropriate manner. I sometimes regret not having used, in the Prodromus, terms such as séries or 

 subdivisions to divide the genders based on a single character. This is more artificial and comfortable than 

 natural. 



Darwin found the sub-orders of Crucipherous and Ombellipherous in the Prodromus not natural and he 

 mocked it. I believe that my father would also have found them artificial, he who had always recommended to 

 unité them with a group of characteristics. But when this is not possible! It would have been necessary to name 

 them subdivisions and then note that they have a single characteristic, not well seen, but isolated and in the 

 Ombellipherous, not very important. 



Having finished the Prodromus I again wanted to study Botanical Geography. After thinking about it I will not 

 publish a 2nd édition of my work so that I can give the merit of the date ( 1 855) to Darwin, who had mentioned 

 it frequently. Today the détails seem to be conserved but their order will not not help me. I will be satisfied in 

 studying one or two new findings. If my health holds up I will begin studying the Sinilacineae and the 

 Dioscorideae. If you could write to me something about this group, I would appreciate it very much. 



