
          Oriskany Oct. 28th 1837

Dear Sir,

Some time since I wrote to you requesting
to be informed where you wished me to send those
sections of wood I have been collecting this season
I would be glad to learn soon so that I may send
them before the canal closes. Please inform me
too what to do with those specimens of Plants
collected for you, and at the same time
if you please instruct me how to put up those
extra specimens collected which you proposed to 
send abroad. I have a pretty extensive collection 
of Carices and some other Grasses, which I could
easily spare.

You may perhaps think strange
of my suddenly leaving my Botanical pursuits.

I had for some time looked upon this place
as one suitable for the Practice of Medicine
but there were two Physicians here one of them 
had been here some time and it would have been
rather hard work to elbow my self into business
with such opponents. They both suddenly left here
and I dropt in at a short notice of four days.

I thought the season suitable for collecting plants
would soon be over, and I knew of no very
profitable employment for the winter by which
I could procure a comfortable support. Whether
this will afford me a good living is yet to
be learned. The beginning however is as favourable
as could have been expected.

I have this season laboured under serious
disadvantages in my Botanical pursuits, one
was, in the early part of the season, I had
no convenient place for preserving plants
nor a sufficient quantity of paper &
other necessaries. Another my means to
bear the necessary expenses were inadequate
neither of these will I hope, in future
        