
          Troy, Sept. 21. 1831.

Dear friend,

Why do we not correspond any more? I
am the only person in the world ( I mean of the Scientific
corps) who cares much about you at heart.
And I would prefer putting my reputation in your
hands to that of any other person on earth.
We are like some old husband and wife, who scold
each other, fret, snarl, &c.[etc.]  but when either is in
distress the other feels it to the heart, and the
death of one kills the other. Then, for the first,
they find that they were absolutely one, with some
discordant parts.

So far I happened to talk thus. Now for a
few cold matters.

Why did not Cooper tell me about his wonderful 
panic about the Montrose specimen? He knew
I would publish any thing he required [added: In the quotation I certainly treated him with more respect than he was entitled to] Did he lie outright,
or has he no memory? I could put him
in a bad situation; if I want; and I should, if he
had not been your friend. I have two affidavits
at command, that he did say [keep?]. He thinks
wealth will back him up in every thing. One
of the young gentlemen, who swears he did say
[?] family, can buy scores of him, if he goes
on that ground. The truth is he knows nothing 
about [added: that subject] [crossed out: ?], until it was published; and now
Featherstonhaugh orders him to say he always
knew every thing [added: according to his own practice]. Is not Casper a milk-and-water
fellow, of "easy virtue"? always governed by his elbow
fellows? What a farce he has plagued with us
about Dr. Gates. That Gates did not know as much
Natural History as would be required to distinguish,
scientifically, a mullein from a cabbage, quartz
from plumb[plum]-pudding, or a dog from a jewsharp[Jew's Harp].
Cooper gives his name for him. I could not believe
my own senses, when I found that it
was the same Gates, whom I had seen at
Whitesboro. Cooper ought to be civil, at least,
after such an abominable imposition on Science, not set up the trade of blackguard

        