
          U.S. & M. [Mexico] Boundary Commission
 Socorro (Near El Paso)
 Feby. [February] 25. 1851


 Dear Sir--


 About two weeks since I availed
 myself of the kindness of Col. [Colonel] McClellan
 and R.H. Coffee Esqr. [Esquire] to send by the way of San
 Antonio a collection of plants I had made on 
 our route from that place to El Paso. My 
 opportunities for collecting and means for preserving
 what plants I did collect were very limited.


 On account of the scarcity of paper I was
 obliged to re-duplicate many species of one locality
 into one sheet. If you find species of another
 locality in the same sheet labels indicating its
 locality [crossed out: labels] will be attached to each specimen.


 The marked difference of Mr. Thurbers collections
 who travelled the northern route from San Antonio to
 El Paso from those of mine satisfies me that this
 region is not nearly explored botanically and that 
 the field for future examinations is open and
 extremely rich. The vally [valley] of Devils river or
 Rio San Pedro is I think rich in new species.


 The lateness of our Passage (we left San Antonio 
 16th Octo. [October] and arrived at Socorro 10th Decr. [December] 1850) made
        