
          had even made the charge or what involved it in any degree
I could not be at [silenced?] by being put with Eaton or discontented
men for even Eaton has his rights & is capable of being abused,
a fact, which I must say, seems not be imagined by some of our
countrymen, & quite as little by some in this State as any where.
Knowing your opinion of Eaton, I see the gist of the remark
but I can not take it or [?] it &, tho' it was caused by what you
considered an unfriendly one of mine, I must have too good an
opinion of your good feelings to think it was intended to be felt at
all. And I have it with all good feelings regretting that I should,
however unintentionally, have [?] to it. As to the Caricog. I wish
to begin by denying in toto the right of any botanist to expect that
another shall forebear to publish on the subject he announces his intentions
to examine & write upon. Such a principle is a gross invasion
of the rights of others. In this way, a few individuals can [ingress?] the
most interesting [parts?], & put the others asleep. Suppose too you have
been making collections on the Ferns & exchanges of them & writing upon
them, & preparing in every way to announce the discoveries you had
made, & I announce that I am to publish on the subject, 
now you must be still, & I must have the power of publishing
many of the very things you have laboured upon & been at
expence upon, etc. etc. Now I say, it is outraging your rights,
for me to expect or demand any such things. And nothing can
render it proper, that I can conceive of. The case is so plain, &
so accordant with every thing in life, that I will not add upon
it. And I add only that botanical [experience?] is just so too.
Bigelow announced his Med. Bot. & Barton did the same
within six weeks. Schk. published his Conicog. 1st Part, & the
other was preparing & then Wahl. published his. And, if Bigelow,
or Nuttall or Elliot, etc. were prepared to publish on the Lichens,
do you suppose they would stop because it has been announced that
you were perparing on the subject? I have no belief of it - & I see no
reason for it at all. You too have a perfect right to give forth your
Small Botany, notwithstanding Eaton's. This I have said to you before 
but I could hardly say it, if[added: I] allowed the principle I have just been denying
& giving my reasons for. And this principle you give up [actually?] too for
you say, "except under peculiar circumstances" which is just my case
& just the case of every other justification as it respects the charge of "anticipating
many of his discoveries". Now I anticipate no one - he has the
honour, & will continue to have it, of naming nearly all the new ones,
he had - & that, tho' I had not sent them to him for you will mark,
that I have yet published none but my own, the specimens of which
he recd. from me alone. Mr. Schwinitz I do not injure at all this
is too clear for debate in my mind. And now, [crossed out: besides] it is of [material?]
        