
          St Louis April 3rd 1848

My Dear Sir

Your agreable lines of march 18th
reached my yesterday. You don't know whether you wrote
to me or not lately. Your last letter to me is dated Jan 3rd.
I wrote to you Jan 19th in answer and again about 8 days
ago in behalf of Dr Gregg , who desires from the government
facilities of travelling and transportation. As you have seen
his collections and know with what zeal he hunts up every
thing he thinks interesting. You will no doubt try to interest
those who have particularly on your word granted similar
favors to Fendler. Dr Greggs next collection will be better
yet, as he now knows better how to collect. I keep up
a correspondence with him and have tried to instruct him
as much as possible. He will also number his next collection
so that we may understand one another and he us, when
we speak of this or that of his plants.

Col Emory wrote me that he has collected fragments
of most of the Cactaceae, figured by [?], and that
they were sent to you. [crossed out: As they] If they should still be
in your hands you would oblige me very much if you
could send them to me, so that I could complete as much
as the material will permit [?my] notes on his Cactaceae.
He has sent me on your intercession his drawings you
know. They are beautifully executed but entirely without
botanical accuracy or botanical detail, so that it is
sometimes even uncertain to say which genus the
plant in question belongs. I have tried my best to do
something with it, and have ventured to describe
them as well as possible. Some I have recognized as
old friends; one, with fruit, a true Cereus (I have
hardly a doubt but that it is C. Greggii w. Report), but
such a strange shaped fruit that I am inclinded to
doubt almost the painter! A stipitate oval
long acuminate fruit! The figure of the 
        