
          J. W. Abert

 Washington DC Jan [January] 17 1847

 My Dear sir

 I recently received your letter
 of the 10th, and I am very much obliged to
 you for the kind interest you take in
 my report.  Herwith [Herewith] I send you the map
 of the Department of New Mexico.  If you
 can give me any notes upon the Botany of 
 that country, I shall be greatly indebted to
 you, as they will add very much to the value
 of my notes; I have said very little of 
 the botany and for this best of reasons, as I 
 know very little about the subject.

 On my route, after being separated from
 Col. [Colonel] Emory, I [?] many plants in the
 vicinity of Bent's [Fort?] and Santa Fé some
 of them were contained in the parcel
 that I left at your house. All the plants
 of the first collection, that you named, I
 arranged, according to the best of my ability,
 in a [?] which I gave to Col [Colonel] Emory.
 I have therefore scarce any botanical [notices?].
        