
          West-Chester, Penna. April 12, 1825


 Sir, Although I have not the pleasure of a personal
 acquaintence, yet I flatter myself that na attachment 
 to similar studies will warrant my addressing you on
 the present occasion. I ahve been some time pre-
 paring a catalogue of the Plants growing in this vicinity,
 and am now, when other business permits, engaged in revising
 it for the Profs?- having conconcluded to print a few copies, in
 the hope that it may aid in some degree to give an idea
 of the distribution & habitat of the vegetables of this region, or
 district, of the U. States. In the course of my correspondence
 during the past winter, with my friend the Rev. W. Schweinitz?,
 he frequently referred to a work of yours which I have not
 yet had the pleasure to see. I understood you had been
 engaged in publishing a Flora of the Northern & Middle States,
 and that some numbers were already [...]; and I requested
 my Bookseller in Phila. to procure me such portions of
 work as had already appeared - but have not yet been so
 fortunate as to obtain them. My object in addressing you, is 
 to ascertain whether I ahve been correctly informed as to the
 nature of the work,- how much of it is published,- & the
 name of the publisher - so trhat I may be enabled to
 give my Bookseller precise directions how to procure it.
 I wrote to Wm. Schweinitz? requesting this information, but
 he was just on the eve of departure for Europe, and omitted
 in his reply to give the information desired. I therefore
 know of no better plan than to use the freedom which I
 now take; & which I trust you will have the goodwill
 to excude. I believe I am posessed of nearly all the principal
 works on American plants, except yours; & as I wish to examine
 & compare every one within my reach, as I proceed, I am par-
 ticularly desirious to posess one so frequently referred to by so 
 respectable a Botanist as W. Schweinitz?.- I lately obtained
        