
          Wilmington Del [Delaware] June 1st 1869


 Dr. John Torrey NY [New York]


 Dear Sir,


 I send by today's 
 mail, a small package containing two
 specimens of what I suppose can only be
 the Oreophila of Nuttall & [Pachyetinia?] Raf. This 
 plant I found first in Aug [August] 1858 on the cliffs
 of New River, Va. [Virginia] at the "New River White Sulphur
 Springs", but without flower or fruit. Some 
 time after I showed the plant to yourself
 and also to Dr. Gray but the cursory inspection
 did not enable you to name it.
 I have ever since had a desire to
 collect it at another season, which was
 gratified about a week since. To my
 delight I found it in flower, and supposed
 on inspecting it it must belong to
 Celastraceae, and, judging from the appearance 
 of the specimens of the above named
 genus I had seen in Hall & Harbour Coll. [College], 
        