
          Ansd. [Answered] March 6th.

 Fort Independence, Boston 

 19th February 1834

 Dear Doctor.

 Your favour of the 3d inst. [instant] was recd [received] on the 
 8th following, & I should have answered it ere this but for the 
 arrival of my library (which contained an essential article for 
 you) from the South, and was then expected daily. It accordingly 
 arrived last week, & so soon thereafter as its arrangements
 admitted I now seize the pen and accompany it with 
 a copy of the Prodromus, which I hope will prove satisfactory. 

 The information imparted in yours of the 3ͩ
 viz that "you wrote me a letter while at Baltimore, I put it 
 into a parcel which Mr. Rafinesque placed in your hands 
 for me in in April 1831," is the first intimation of a [added: mutual] correspondence 
 attempted I have had of the fact. In May 1831 
 I recd [received] from Rafinesque a letter only dated the 30th March, of which 
 you appeared to have been the bearer as far as Baltimore:
 for a short note in your hand writing on the back of the letter 
 dated "Baltimore 1st March 1831," addressed to me as follows: "Dr
 T. [Torrey] greatly regrets that he is obliged to return immediately 
 to New York &c &c." (Why, not so near, come on? Rafinesque informed 
 me that you had your Lady with you. I know that mine 
 would have rendered her stay agreeable; with ourselves I 
 presume time would have been lost in chitchat on many 
 subjects.) But to continue, Rafinesque states in his letter, that 
 you had the goodness to take charge of for me, two copies of his 
 Medical Flora (one intended for Rich) and copies of his 
 "Neogenyton": one of the Floras was recd [received] in June following:
 the Neogenitons [Neogenytons] I have not seen, or the other copy of 
 the Flora, even to this day. Our Botanical friends in
 the District of Col'a. [Columbia], greatly regreted [regretted] the necessity that 
 prevented you from reaching Washington, for they anticipated 
 & dwelt with much pleasure, [added: on] the courtesy & satisfaction 
 it would have afforded them in rendering the cordial
 hospitality to your Lady and self agreeable to all parties, 
 & particularly to one so well known to them.

 I have not at present with me a herbarium,
 but either of your friends in the District will take pleasure
 in forwarding any plant you may desire, either dry or green,
 mentioned in the catalogue. Dr. McWilliams, particularly,
 has the largest & fullest herbaria, & more duplicates 
 than the others of the "Club", (for there are no other botanists 
 in the District & I might safely add in the adjoining 
 States:) who I am sure will exchange, or furnish [added: you] with 
 peculiar pleasure any plant named in the Prodromus.
 As I shall have occasion, next week, to write to McWilliams,
 to whom I [crossed out: shall] [added: will] certainly make known your wish and 
 with a request to communicate your object to the rest 
 of the Club; whom, also, I can assure you will each be gratified by
        