
          St Louis Octob 5th 1847

My Dear Sir,

Your letter of Aug. 20th is more than a month
in my hands - it would have been answered long ago
if that month was not just the most busy for a medical
practicioner in our region.

I have written in vain for those drawings of Cacti  they
have not come to hand  but Maj Emory sent me seeds of 3
Cacti collected west. From Santa Fe I have got new
species again, and almost every one that brings any
thing from there, brings also new species. The northern Cacti
are almost unknown.  Have I told you that I have
now also a specimen of what must be Nuttalls Mammillis
simplex from the upper Missouri very near my texan M. similis.

Mr. Fendler has juist returned from Santa Fe with rich
collections; want of means  failure of letters furnishing
means  have driven him back. He, Wislizenus 
and Gregg have sent many Asclepiadeae  which appear
very interesting.

Dr Wislizenus has heard nothing yet from Washington
but as this war appears now to continue, I hope he
will have an appointment suitable to his enterprize
next spring. I was pleased to see Dr Halstead's
name honorably mentioned in Gen. Shields report of 
the battles before Mexico

Do you know , what Mr. Gambel, the ornithologist
from Philadelphia has done in New Mexico etc in regard
to Botany? What has become of his collections?  He  

        