
          Washington D.C.
 Dec. 9th 1856


 My Dear Doctor,


 Your note of the 27th inst. [instant]
 has lain bye me some time unanswered
 not exactly through 
 neglect but through a desire
 to make the most of the remaining
 time allotted to me to close up
 this report. They have notified us
 that the papers must all go in
 at the close of this month & I have
 been delayed waiting to get some
 intelligence from Mr. Conrad to whom
 some of my tertiary mollusc shells
 went. Will you send me the preface
 or introduction to you Bot'l. [Botanical] report which
 you said you would forward.
        