names. There are some that I will be able to recognize and to place in the proper group 



ZlZut °M S T %T ° f Sa " LU1S P0t0Sl ' SUch as the ve ^ c — Marnüla™ 

 group of the Macrothelae. These vary alot and could well be the Mamillaria 

 pentacantha or other neighboring species. It would have been necessary to know all the 

 cu tivated species in our collections before studying them in Mexico. This is what I did 

 not do. I de. not know the large collections of Cacti in France and I have never been to 

 Germany, here I have not regarded the secondary collections as important where the 

 plants are labeled very precisely. It would also be necessary to harvest each day the 

 samples of all the species and then send them to Europe with labeis indicating exactlv 

 where they come from so that they can be compared later on to establish their 

 vanations. All this is very easy in theory, but when one is in the place, with onl V ones 

 own resources, with very minimal means of transportation, not being able to dismount 

 at every sighting, then the Situation is totally different. It has happened to me more than 

 once that the Commander of the regiment with whom I marehed, told me that I had 

 strayed too far or that I had stopped and stayed too far behind. I was frightened more 

 dran once by the rattle softes (Vibora caseavala), that are extremely common, special* 

 m the north of San Lu,s Potosi up to the Rio Grande. They make the exploration of this 

 rough country, very dangerous. 



A moment ago I was talking about the species that vary so much, that I am unable to 

 desenbe them in any other way than by their group. The examples that I would like to 

 mention are the Echmocereus stenogoni, These vary so much or better yet offer such 



SSTS El Z been T 16 T concIude ' that they aU are part 0f one and the sa «* 



species ( at least all the ones I saw). 



I stop for today, my dear colleague. I hope that your occupations will allow you the time 



L flSh SC r",^ 3 reSP ° nSe IfI d ° n,t b ° re to0 much 1 P^* in 

 the future to be a faithful and precise correspondent 



While awaiting your future news I pray that you aeeept my renewed assurances of 

 respect and devotion. 



Albert Weber 



Major and physician of the 95th regiment at Auxerre (Lyon) 



Auxerre December 27, 1 867 



Because my letter does not leave until the day after tomorrow, I will profit of the time 

 to add a post-senpt, in order to answer some questions that you have asked me in V our 

 correspondence. J 

 Firstly I hurry to give you, as you wished, some news of myself and my antecedens! I 

 already gave some mformation of myself in my second letter (dated in Saltillo) that Y ou 

 may never have received. 



l7Z b Z m th °} 7 f m y m Wolfisheim close to Strasbourg. I was brought up 

 by my father who is still alive and is a Protestant pastor. At the age of 16 I began my 



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