
          Cambridge 17 April, 1849

My Dear Doctor

It is very long since I heard from 
you, & I have myself been at work
too hard to write many letters.

[Isaac] Sprague has been at work on your plates
for Smithsonian. Four are almost done 
(two of them quite) viz. Batis, & Schweinitzia?

The Chrysobalanaceus thing, and the Portulacaceae
will also be ready in a few days. When
shall you be in New York that I may send 
them to meet you there? And then they
may go in to [Joseph] Prestele's hands, who I think
had better engrave them. Sprague durst not
make his first essay upon them, which he
wants to be very fine, and do justice to his admirable
drawings.

Perhaps Fremontia may
better be engraved over by Prestele.

Sprague's analysis of Batis is very beautiful & clear.
What are its affinities. I hope you will be able to
get some clue to it. Nothing promising has occurred to 
me yet.

His analyses of the Californian
Schweinitzia is very interesting. But are you
sure that you found the [crossed out: embryo] seed attached by
the end opposite where you found the embryo. Sprague
is pretty well convinced of the contrary, and gives it
anatropous seeds. There is no disk, as in Schweinitzia
and several other differences, which I suppose will lead
        