
          Smithsonian Institution
 Washington Feb. 7' 1857


 Dear Sir,


 I saw Thomas H. Benton yesterday
 who stated that Col. [Colonel] Fremont was
 laid up  in California with sciatica, and
 that it is out of the question for him
 to return shortly. This will preclude
 the getting additional matter from 
 him, and you had better therefore, put
 your mss [manuscript] to press immediately. It will
 go in the forthcoming volume, if provided
 immediately. Will you therefore attend to 
 this matter? If the whole mss [manuscript] is not
 ready, give Jenkins the first part, and
 while he is printing, you might be completing.
 It ought all to be done in 3
 weeks or less! Should the additional 
 matter arrive hereafter it might be inserted
 in a supplement with additional species.


 Have you seen the Botanical lists
 in Roemer's Texas. It includes several 
 new species. I noticed recently several monographs
 of plants including N. [North] American,
 in the Bulletin of the Imp. [Imperial] Acad. [Academy] of
 St. [Saint] Petersburg.


 Yours truly,
 SF [Spencer Fullerton] Baird


 Dr. John Torrey
 New York
        