
          I very much wish to pass a day or two with you, that is
 when you have got through the hurry of your Chemistry
 for till then you can have no leisure to talk on Botany
 and look over specimns. I named to you I had many
 duplicates with which I may be able to make some
 arrangements with you that is for such as are
 desired by you for the herbarium and for Mirbil &c &c. 
 The best may well be soon as the river opens
 and you are at leisure for me to visit N York
 and bring them with me. 


 By this time I suppose Dr. Gray has his orders
 and will be soon to take his departure for the S Seas
 Mr. Dickerson the Secretary of the Navy wrote me
 Jany [January] 4th to apprize me of having appointed
 Horatio E Hale as Philologist to the Expedition
 at the recommendations of John Pickering of 
 Boston. If a linguist surely so was wanted
 I presume the appointment is a good one.
 As to my not receiving an appointment this will
 be no disappointment, though if I had in due time
 had such a one offered as was suited to my taste
 I should have been ready to accept it I believe!
 I found however strong objections raised here by 
 my friends when I spoke of the bare possibility of
 taking such a voyage. They consider me as 
 being too useful here [added: as a Physician] to leave them! and they
 will rejoice that I have not been appointed
 indeed you will know that it was not I who first
 proposed it or moved into the business. The expedition has my
 best wishes I hope there will be a strong Scientific Corps

        