
          Recd. [Received] Dec. [December] 17.
Ansd. [Answered] 19th

Fort Jesup Louisiana Nov [November] 14th 1836

Sir, Although we have never been correspondents, I presume
a letter from me will not need an apology.
I have long been acquainted with your labours in the
department of Natural [added: History] and especially so, as relates to
to the beautiful science of Botany and it is not too
much to say that you have been one of the most
efficient of the American Botanists. I have just
received a letter from Professor [Charles Wilkins] Short of the Transylvania
University informing that you are preparing a 
large General Work upon American Botany.
Such a work is greatly needed and by collecting new
Genera & Species & embodying in your Work detached
descriptions of American Plants you will confer a
signal benefit upon all cultivators of the Science, 
& it will certainly [added: require] a great amount of Study & labour
to do it in the manner I feel confident that you
will do it. At the present time a plant
may be found which is not described in any work
in our posession [possession], yet one cannot say but that some
other individual may have met with and described it.
This difficulty I have felt on more than one occasion.
At what time do you contemplate publishing the
proposed Work? This enquiry I am interested in as
it is my wish to throw into your hands as great
an amount of materials as possible. For this purpose
my position is and has been for some years past
favourable [crossed out: for some years past]. The whole of the
last Spring, Summer & Autumn were spent in
Florida. With the exception of this interval the last
5 Years have been passed at Fort Towson Arkansaw [Arkansas]
or in this State. I have spent one Summer in the vicinity
of the mouth of the False Washita one of the large 
tributaries of Red River & during the time extended
my travels to the Cross Timbers 35 miles farther to the 
West. If I am on this frontier I intend to spend a portion
of the next Spring in exploring the vicinity of the Sabine
and the adjacent parts of Texas.

[sideways] Please to consider me as a Subscriber for your Work.

        