(ZT. crtlt.ö^ 

 Weber,/. aJl£. Engelmann Papers 



San Luis Potosi 



July24, 1869 



Sir and very Honored Colleague, 



Your remarkable botanical research but specially your publications on the Cactus 

 family have brought to me a vivid desire to pursue direct contact with you. 



I have been interested in botany for a long time but I am an amateur and not a real 

 scholar. My sojourn in Mexico as physician to the French army has given me the 

 opportunity to restart my studies. I would like to occupy myself in particular in the studies 

 of the Cactus.These are so numerous in this country and so unknown to European botanists. 



Your many investigations on this family have been of great help to me, not only by 

 having determined the species (however until the present time I have not found any ofthose 

 that you mentioned previously), but they have served me as a guide and models in the study 

 of the Mexican species. 



I was able to gather from the various parts of Mexico that I have been to until now, a 

 large number of unedited documents on certain species already known and on certain types 

 of natural species. 



I was able to study among others, a rather large number of Cereus (specially in the 

 area around Tehuacan), and the observations I made on the reproductive organs are 

 singularly different from what I had read about in this respect. I would be very happy if you 

 would allow me to correspond with you so that I can submit to you the results of the 

 observations that I have made and the larger number ofthose that I will be making. Your 

 approval of the documents that I plan to publish after my return to Europe would be of 

 great value to me. 



I will be very pleased to send you seeds from all the species that had fruit and even 

 living plants whenever possible. 



I was not sure of your present residence therefore I wrote you first hoping that the 

 letter will arrive. As soon as you have read my communication you may ask for any 

 documents that you may find interesting. 



