
          You have several times expressed a wish that I would furnish you with some living plants
and promised to give me a list of desiderata. I have made a small collection for you which
I hope will be acceptable. The box is not large, as I did not know how to meet your wishes
exactly, though it would have been as easy to collect 500 roots as 50. The upper
statum consists of Dionaeas, but you will find with them Liatris odoratissima,
Sarracenia flava, Andromeda nitida, Aristida stricta, Mx? [Michaux?] & some others which I
did not recognise. In the lower stratum you will find Tipularia. The soil
which that prefers will not hold together, so that you will probably find the
roots all loose. The weather has been so excessively cold (mercury at 0!) that
all delicate plants have been endangered. How those I have sent you are affected
I know no, but I think they are not essentially injured.

If you have occasion to write to me for plants, and I shall be very happy to hear
from you upon that subject as well as any & every other, I hope you will do it soon,
as I and my collection will be soon divorced. What I can spare of dried plants, or
what I can get of living ones I will send to you with pleasure. Several new plants
unknown to you, which you returned to me, I will send back to deposit with 
you, if you desire them; I am not yet prepared to say that I will give them.

Those plants from my [added: first] package which you have not yet determined, I
shall be glad to have you take a list of, as fast as you ascertain the them, so that
you can finally communicate them to me. Pay my respects to Dr. Gray & 
Mr Clark, and believe me very truly your friend & serv [servant]

M. Ashley Curtis.

The box of plants has been shipped on board Schr. [Schooner]
"Daniel M. Smith", Smith, master, which
will port in at Centre Wharf, New Slip.

Prof. John Torrey
New York 
N.Y.
        