
          Basle [Basel, Switzerland] 6 Nov. 1872

 Most honoured Sir,

 Our mutual friend, Prof. [Professor] Meissner not
 being well enough to write to you himself, I 
 beg leave to inform you, that a large portion
 of his Herbarium is packed up, and ready for
 exportation. We both hope your journey to California
 to have been happy and successful, and
 by the time the boxes will join at New York, we
 suppose you will be reinstalled in your home and
 ready to received them. If not, Dr. Barnard or some
 other member of Columbia College is requested to
 take care of them untill [until] your return.

 The plants I am about to send you represent
 allmost [almost] two-thirds of the Meissner Herbarium.
 They are packed up in eight large iron-bound
 cases; as you will see by the list added to this
 letter, their [there] are [overwritten: 222] [added: 223] packets marked outside with 
 numbered tickets, so that you can easily find
 a family without opening more than one or a 
 few packets.

 The part of the herbarium, which Mr. Meissner [Carl Meissner]
        