
          E. P. Johnson

Jany. [January] 3rd 1831.

Coll. [Collection]

San Juan Bautista

Janr. [January] 3rd 1831

Doctor Torrey

D [Dear] Sir

Although very ill from an accidental
poisoning by colchium I shall endeavor to set up long enough
to write you a few lines. As I have not yet been into the
country, I have not been able to procure more than two bottles of
the liquid caoutchouc, one of which I send to you in the Eliza, the other is
intended for Dr. Stevens, for this I sent twenty five miles, to procure it
fresh from the tree - as soon as I can get into the interior I shall
send you more. Perhaps from the intense cold of the season it
will not arrive in a liquid state, in that case I would suggest
that placing the bottle in hot water will probably restore it to
the state in which it exuded from the tree. for the promised
plants, I can only endorse the promise & perform it by the next vessel.
The truth is I have been so occupied hitherto that I could not make
a single botanical excursion. Add to this the difficulty of getting
about in a swampy country in the rainy season without roads & I think
my excuse stands pretty fair.

Dr. Juan Corroy begs leave to transmit to you through
me a vial containing a [green?] liquid, the product of three demijohns of water
taken from a cold spring near the city of Quetzaltenango in Guatemala
& boiled down to the quantity contained. The round smooth pebbles
were taken from the bed of the spring, which is formed entirely
of these. They appear to be composed principally of carbonate of lime.
The small vial contains the product of a demijohn [added: of water] taken from 
a hot spring near the other boiled down. The branches
        