if'encUer, A. 



1875, November 9tb 



Wilmington, Del. 



TRANSLATION 



1708 Gilpin Ave., Wilmington, Del, 

 November 9th t 1875. 



Dear Doctor, 



I received your very welcome letter of October 27th on the 30th, You ask whether 

 I am no satisfied with my life. It seems to be a natural train in a human being who has 

 moved around so much and so contantly, that he wishes to have a quiet home at least in 

 his old age where he can spend the last days of his life without worries. I believe I 

 have reached this aim. Whatever I was looking for, I found. In the winter I am busy 

 with literary works I like, in the summer plant collecting and I find much satisfaction 

 and pleasure. Some times I have the desire, as in younger years, to go far into the 

 woods and meadows and to read the "1000 flowers" which the earth offers in such abundance 

 even in the most distant lands. Especially, I should like to see again the jungle of 

 the tropical mountain areas where I once wandered adn took up the old and well known 

 vegetation in all its hiding places. But physical weakness from which I sometimes suffer, 

 remind me to stay quiet at home. However, I had given some serious thoughts to find 

 enough subsdribers to Venezuelan ferns to support such an tafesrprise financially. 

 The Sea of Valencia with its beautiful and pleasant natural scenery, its pictoresque 

 surrounding hills and its ^incomparable lovely climate is very tempting to me and I 

 should like to enjoy again the balsamic evening and morning air. However, I would only 

 decide to take such a trip if the rheumatism which attacks me regularly during the 

 winters in Delaware continue and makes my life miserable. The climate here in Wilmington 

 is much better than in St. Louis, but still too horrible in the winter for someone who 

 has lived in areas with a more temperate climate. 



I just cannot see how Dr. Parry can earn so much just by plant collecting to cover 

 the expenses of his long trips (and even take his wife along). 



Last summer, I made numerous excursions to find out how many plant species can 

 be found in the immediate vicinity of Wilmington and in the city itself, about 1 1/2 

 miles from ray apartment and I believe I came up with a collection of 600 to 700 species. 

 I have not counted them all yet since we are now busy building a basement for our 

 house; but the Graminae I collected around Wilmington and which were determined by 

 Canby, amounted to 70 species. Among the other plants, I iffound many which are not 

 native in the West. 



I was always surprised that L e tterman did not make a herbarium. He now also is 

 interested in entomology as he wrote me some time ago. 



Even though Gray told me during our meeting last spring, that I still look as 

 I did ten years ago, I feel the coming on of old age since next January I shall have 



