
          Recd from Prof. Henry
Aug. 23rd, 1838
Ansd by Dr. Gray
Nov. 7 1832

Edinburgh 12th August 1837
No 4 Inverleith Terrace

My Dear Sir

Your acceptable Letter and parcel were put into my
hands a few days ago not by Dr Locke but by your friend
Professor Henry in consequence of the Dr having been
unable to visit the Modern Athens. The Professor has
a great interest in the polarisation of Light and it
gave me great pleasure to shew him the little matters
I have constructed for illustrating that [crossed out: int] important
branch of optical Science.

I have looked into the structure of your Taxifolia [Torreya taxifolia] and
find it to agree so closely with that of the Yew that had I
received it without any thing being said about it I could
have had no hesitation in pronouncing it as Taxus. In
the vessels of the Taxus Baccata as seen in the Longitudinal
sections, there are a multitude of slightly [added: oblique] transverse lines or
fibres which I have not observed in any other species of
conifera and which in your tree are even more numerous
than in the Yew. For the Torreya the vessels are considerably
[added: larger] than in the Yew and the discs are also larger as well as
more numerous. The size of the vessels and also of the 
discs
        