Geyer, Chas. A. 

 18^2, September 19th 

 Arensville, Illinois 



TRANSLATION 



Arensville, Morgan County, Illinois 

 19th September, 1842 



Dr. George Engelmann 

 Dear Doctor, 



Yesterday I received your letter of the l8th and last Friday the one dated 

 the 8th of this month. It seems you did not make any excursions to the Meramec with 

 Riehl. You are against my trip to Florida, but I am sure that after deducting the 

 travel expenses and other expenses, I could still make 150-200 Dollars this winter. 

 I could stay there possibly through next summer or at least through spring. I don't 

 have any hope to be able to go West. I gave up Nicollet and he apparently thinks of 

 me as just a stranger; I wrote him in May that I should like to off er my valuable 

 collection to the National Institute and asked whether he could need some of the local 

 plants in exchange, but he never answered. I don't intend to write to him again, also 

 there is nothing to write. It is also impossible to make the trip to the F. mountains 

 with the Jesuits without funds, since they would not consider my knowledge worth 

 anything, not enough for them to do something for me, but it is worth looking into. 

 Stuart also seems to be very undependable , otherwise he would not have left my 

 letters unanswered. You see that I don't insist on my trip to Florida without good 

 reason, since in my business as a plant collector I have to make as much or as little 

 as I can; it is of very little value if I spend the winter doing nothing and be without 

 an income. Therefore, I wrote to our colleague Gottfr. Schütze and asked him to advance 

 me some money, while I could ask Reichenbach to pay the money he got for me to Roeck 

 in Hamburg (Schüt z e's correspondent) . If Schütze agrees, I could follow my plan to 

 continue to collect, independent from Nicolett, Stuart and the Jesuits and make m? 



and you happy Please help me to carry out this plan as much as your friendship finds 



it advisable for me and yourself. I also thank you for the 5 Thaler, I still have 5 



Thaler left from but have to make some payments 



I have already collected 90 specimens of Prenanthes illinoesis and since I still 

 have to collect yours and also wish to collect some more things for myself , I have to 

 delay my departure and after you have received this letter, you could still write to me 

 here once more. I have collected the following Aster here: Aster hyssopifolium L. 

 (formerly my A. rigidus ) Aster sericeus, dumosus , sagittifolius . turbinellus . squarrosus . 

 Salicifoiius , Simplex, novae - Angliae , miser , cordifolius . recurvatis . ptmarimicoides : 

 and apart from the last one, I have specimens in sets of 60. -Since I last wrote you 



