Hilgard, Theodore Charles 

 185^ f August l6%h 

 Philadelphia Pa. 



T ■ ^ V-LATION 



Philadelphia, August l6th, 5*f 



Dear Doctor, 



After receipt of your letter, I imrnediately started to find something 

 for Fendler to seil here and recently also Mr. Benitz appeared here with whom 

 I had a long talk. It seems to me a mistake that Fendler did not send any 

 catalogues, so nobody knov/s how high or how low the prices are. I learned from 

 Durand that in similar circumstances, formerly a piece (species, I believe) came 

 to ten cents. There are very few botanists or any other collectors here and 

 Fendler should have found out about these previously and also sent sample s. A 

 Iriend of Leconte's, Dr. Hanson, suggested Fendler should send cacti and orchids 

 to the United States, especially to Philadelphia, since last year, a shipment 

 of orchids, some 60 pieces of only a very few species were sold for 4 2 to $ 3 each. 

 Drs. Leconte and Hanson happened to be at my place when Mr. Benitz came. He already 

 had "distributed" his insects on the way and had I had some here, I might have 

 had a buyer instead of just a vague ,T idea n .In order to get a railroad built from 

 Vienna to Trieste, a shipment of r fruit was sent to certain influential "tables" and 

 thus the argument was won. Since Mr. Benitz is still here, it might be possible 

 that I could get some order from him. 



Mr. H. C. Hanson asked me whether I had an extra! copy of your "Notes on 

 Cereus giganteus " Thurberi which he would like to have. Without knowing you, he 

 asked me to ask you where he could find a copy of this. If you should still have 

 some copies you would do us both a favor if you could send him or both of us a 

 copy of your Notes. His address: No. 6 Merchants Exchange at the r/estern Insurance 

 Company. 



In New York is a nursery Thomas Hogg & Sons, 73rd Street (Yorkville), New York, 

 who are importing plants. Perhaps Fendler could write them making specific offers. 



My practice is progressing slowly, which is natural, but it is growing. My 

 residence is <tn the northen part of the city near the eold core where no room was 

 left for "newcomers". If I can last two years and keep horse and buggy I shall soon 

 myx get my practice going. However, I am not a good speculator and should prefer to 

 builä my house on a solid basis and not some framed humbug "mostly because I have to ,f # 

 At the beginning,my patients used to be poor people, but now I also have some 

 wealthy ones and I am gaining some confidence. In my leisure time I have so much 

 to study, many new things and am also involved in our Medical Reading Circle, studying 



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