
          Middletown Novr 5th, 1840.

My Dear Friend

Your letter of 31st ult. [ultimate] and post marked on the 2d reached 
me the evening before last, and at the earliest leisure moment I will 
do myself the pleasure of opening the communication. Your last letter 
to me is dated Aug 25th, and I set myself without loss of time to 
make all ready for you, and drew up a long communication which 
I mailed about Octob 16. If this is lost I shall regret it, but I 
will as soon as possible draw [added: it] up again for (I have no copy 
the subject matter of [added: late] my communication). I visited the Sea Coast
of Guilford and made large or rather bulky collections of 
plants, peculiar to the Sea Coast. These things gave me 
much trouble dry, especially the stock of Solidago 
laevigata &c. They have not been thoroughly dried till 
about a week ago. I gathered in fine fruit Cakile maritima
and this too was very troublesome to dry, but it is safe. 
I found plenty of Vilfa longifolila, and I had the good fortune 
to secure some very fine specimens of my former [aquanthe?]
on the Coast the Panicum amarum Ell. [Elliott]! It is rare 
on the Coast. Your once asked me for specimens, and now 
you may know when to expect them, or I will share it 
with you if wanted. I gathered 3 species of Spartina (in [plenty?])
and on turning to your State Catalogue, I did not find it! 
in the list? I have not time now to give you a list of all 
the things. I found there, the yellow thistle Cardus spinosissimus [Carduus spinosissimus]
Walt. & Darlington [Flora cestrica, 2nd edition, 1837] p. 438, Cn. spiniss. Willd [Cnicus spinosissimus Willdenow [Willdenow, editor of the 4th edition of Caroli a Linné Species plantarum]] 3: p. 1684. The florets are 
yellow enough!! I never saw the plant before. it gave me 
much trouble to dry it, being so succulent.In drying the 
florets changed to a [crossed out: darker colour] [added: dark or purple] May not this have misled 
Elliott? a person who only saw a dried specimen would 
be deceived about the colour! It grows from 2 to 4 feet high.
this is not [added: in] your Catalogue of the plants of New York state.

[in margin]
I can send the Flora of Hookers any day but if you do not require it instantly for safety
let it be till I pack up the things laying in a heap for you since I have all of my 
plants dry and out of the way. I shall have time to attend to the [rest?] of my [?].
        