
          Prof [Professor] John Torrey, New York


 My dear sir,


 I am very glad to see, at last the Pacific R. [Rail] Road reports published
 I hope that, through your kindness, I shall be favored with copies of them.


 I regret exceedingly that the drawings of Dr Hilgard prove so deficient.
 The few first ones, he finished here, before his starting for the West, and 
 although poorly done, they seemed to me botanically accurate. The others
 were done at [crossed out: cincinnati] [written above: St Louis] from very poor specimens, the best having
 been sent to WasHington, or deposited in the Academy's herbarium.


 If my [assent?] be necessary to have them altered and improved,
 you have it, my dear sir, and I shall be exceedingly thankful
 to you; I wish this, my first botanical attempt, be as little discreditable
 as possible! The plants had been presented by Dr Heermam to the
 Academy of Natural Sciences and were refered to me for examination.
 I associated Dr Hilgard to my undertaking, for his assistance in microscopic
 investigations [added: for] which my bad eyes and want of experience re[added:n]dered
 me inefficient.


 I would like to see those drawings, and you would oblige me
 to point out, on a loose piece of paper appended to each of them,
 the inaccuracies and superflinities, I would like also to have a 
 copy of the print, because I do not konw what changes in the text 
 Dr Hilgard may have made since. En attendant, I send you fragments
 of our three erigona that you may at once ascertain the number
 of stamina and ther zeal insertions. I believe them all new 
 species, as among the bo odd species contained in Acad [Academy] Herbarium.
 [crossed out: none] have any kind of affinity with them, and I have seen no description
        