
          [at upper left: [Ansd.?] March 11th 1841]


 Jackson. Louisiana Oct. 29th. 1840


 My dear Sir


 A few days since, I had the [pleasure?] of receiving your
 Kind favour of Oct. 10th. acknowledging the receipt of a small parcel of plants
 which I sent to you last April _ I cannot express the chagrin that I felt on
 hearing that the parcel had just reached you, and feel that I owe you an
 apology for sending it by such faithless hands _ It will be sufficient to say
 that the plants were put up to be sent by my careful and punctual friend
 Prof. Cubi, but by misunderstanding and contrary to my intention, they went
 by Mr Thorpe, who by this piece of management, and this alone, [crossed out: he] got
 a letter to you from me, which I gave him in hopes that his strong pro=
 =pensity to make distinguished acquaintances, might overcome his char=
 actaristic want of punctualty _ But enough of this _ It gives me great
 satisfaction to hear that you found the plants interesting and acceptable ___
 To your quiries respecting them I can answer as follows _ The Gnapalium mono=
 =cephaum [added: #] I found about [added: 3 or 4] 3 years since but in only one limited locality,
 & then called it by this name, but with some doubt whether the peculiarity was
 constant _ but during the present year I have found five limited ^ [added: but very prolific] patches of
 it, on the tops of [abrupt?] bluffs and in one or two places in the pine woods - It seems
 however to flourish best [crossed out: of] [added: on] the [?] of bluffs near the top where the ground
 is well shaded _ here it forms patches 4 or 5 yards, in dimension; There are
 generally 2 [?] within 40 or 50 paces of each other, the one containing plants
 bearing fertile, the other plants bearing sterile fls ][flowers]_ This I have observed in every
 locality - The plants, seem to propagate mainly by stolons or [vinnery?] from the
 old plants, as in G. Plantaginea _ Althgether I have perhaps seen more than
 500 or perhaps 1000 plants in flower, and assure you that the plants
 sent you fully illustrate the characters of the species, and I consider my
 name as decidedly suitable to it - I ^ [added: also] saw the plant, but not in bloom of course,
 in June 1837, on the pine hills near the Sabine River ___ My Botrychum
 # bulbosum shall be attended to next spring, I will endeavour to furnish
 [horizontal line across the page]
 (Note - The plants marked thus # I thought were labelled in your package; if not
 it was an oversight in me, as I sent them thus named to Nuttall & others, last spring)

        