
          to the books, is monoecious. I shall enclose in this letter
specimens of the fruit mentioned above, and also the
leaf of the larger tree which I suppose to be a 
Taxus, but I have no specimen of the leaf of 
the other. When you have time to make up an 
opinion on these points I shall be glad to hear 
from you.

Our spring is more backward at present than
I have known it before since I [crossed out: before] first visited the 
country. The only plants now in bloom are 
one or two species of Viola, Trillium sessile, Chaptolia
integrifolia, and the humble and delicate 
Houstonia rotundifolia. The northern blast is
howling fearfully and gloomily at this moment,
and has made me a prisoner the whole day. 
This may perhaps cause you to think of the old
adage, "Tis an evil wind" etc.- and to suppose that
you are indebted to this for the present letter; 
but in fact it is not so, for I had previously
determined not to delay any longer the pleasure of writing to you.

Florida is indeed an interesting country to the
naturalist and to the lover of nature. My residence is
on the banks of a small lake which is bordered by Quercus
virens, Magnolia grandiflora, Styrax glabrum, Laurus
carolinensus, Stuartia virginica, [added: Halesia dip. & tetraptera] Quercus laurifolia etc. 
        