Ree. Oct. 20 Jacobi Berlin, Sept. 23, ,1871 



Ans. Aue:. 21,1872 



Most Esteemed Friend and Patron ! 



I was very sad at the tirae, that during your last presence 



i>^ Europe, I had seen you only once and did not have the oporturi ty, , 



to show you ray collect! on , perha.ps the only one in systeraatic order 



and presentatiorr this side of the ocean. I would have m uch to discuss 



with you" and rauch to ask your opiniom Now, unf ortunately, this is past 



f or ever. Because, if you would cone over a^ain, you would find ny 



colleoti on- only in a very reduced State, nay-be not at all any raore. 



Due to my physical suffering due t<3> kidney stones I could during 



the last 1| years occupy rayseif only very superf icially with my plants, 



and as I was forced to be raustered out and thus ray male lirait of Service 



was reduced by 200 % or 2 ......... and I nyselfy due to the physical 



suffering^ could not tousrh anything anyraore, I saw no possibility, to 



maintain the collection in Its prior extension. On top of this carae 



the necessity to settle here, to have the certainty of raedical advice 



always at ray side, and he^e one raust be a very rieh person,if one wants 



to pay f or quarters and the space to aecoraodate such a collect! orr and" 



a gar den to take care of t^en properly during the s uraner« Since my 



discharge I have been put in the true sense of the word on half appe- 



tfcte ( sie. E.D. raeaninß: i salary) and, thus, must stretch myself to 



the ceiling ( two German expressions of the time , which 'were delibe- 



rately not transoribed into up to date metaphors . E. D. ) . I , theref or,, 



have cut myself shortly in two, and kept only the Agavae of my- f oster 



children, and of these only the rare and precious species. The best 



of what was left, went to the local botanical Garden, after that carae 



common 



the Breslau u arden, and whar was then left of/Agavae too large for my 

 facilities here and what was left of the cacti went to a rieh friend 

 in Silesia, who can use the plants for decorations. Poselfrer too re- 



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