
          Genera and names; your descriptions will remain as references,
but you will lose your names.  Since you must be sure
that others will be given to them by less cautious or more
accurate Botanists, nay perhaps 2 or 3 at once! & thus
multiply synonyms to no purpose.

I have studied over again the plants submitted to yr [your]
hasty inspection last year, & have convinced myself that in
some instances your indications or decisions have been too
hasty indeed.  It is by such lazy or cautious oversights
that the Science is kept backwards:  so as to leave much to
do to future botanists.  This impression of mine has
been greatly confirmed by reading in Elliot's (just dead
& a great loss to Science) work, his frequent remarks on the
several species covered by one name and he calls it, or as I
would say blended or overlooked.  I was indeed astonished
to find one half of his New Sp. [species] taken from former blunders.
The Southern, Western, & Northern Plants of the same
Sp. [species] are often different as he proves & my specimens or observ. [observations]
evince also.  You may talk of varieties as you please
& call them such, and on that plan I would make 1/3 of all our
& your Plants varieties also.  My view of the subject after
long reflexions [reflections] is that Plants are subject to Natural and
Successive Deviations! both Specific & generic; but when perm [permanently]
effected these Deviations become to all scientific purposes
N. Sp. & G [new species and genera] which ought to have names: if we don't notice them
& name them, somebody else will in 10 or 50 years hence, &
call us lazy for overlooking them!

After my Med. Flora is done, I mean to undertake a
general Catalogue by Nat. Orders of all the Species & Var. [variety]
of Plants in North America from Canada to Florida &
Oregon, or North Amer. exclusive of Mexico.  In this I shall
also want your assistance.  This must be a prelude any how
to any complete work on all our Plants.  When I see you I will
again talk to you of my old project of uniting yourself with Mr
Schweinitz, myself & others to form [added:jointly] in 4 or 5 years hence a 
Synopsis plant. Amer. Boreali Sec. Ord. Nat.  Have you seen [crossed out:illegible]
the late Encycl. of plants of London, Kirby & Sowerby with 10000
wood figures in one volume 8 degrees & 16000 species.  This is my favourite
plan & am glad to see in return to this plan of the 16th century
        