
          and with the hope of assistance at your hands, I 
 begun my labors in earnest and prcoceeded to the
 end of Ranuculaceae at the risk of losing my
 pour [poor] eyes. Twice in that lapse of time. I had to stop
 my work from inflammation of the eyes, the last
 of which was so serious as to oblige me to give up
 entirely my undertaking or, otherwise, I would run
 the risk of losing my sight althogether.


 I regret exceedingly this circumstance, as I had
 confidence in me and expected to render myself,
 for once, useful to the students of Ann. botany.
 What sustained my courage in the undertaking, wa 
 the assistance I expected from you and from Dr Gray
 who had promised me to work up the compositoe,
 which were the rocks against which I was afraid to 
 be wrecked. Thus I must resign myself to [pan?]
 through this world without having accomplished any
 thing useful to a science which had been the delight
        