
          The best books on Algae are Decandolle french flora, Dilwyn Conferfa, Lamoureux
Thalafriographie, etc.  I am glad that you are going to correct the botanical
errors of Silliman's journal, but do not neglect the zoological ones.
I shall leave the plants for you at Mr Collins, if I do not bring them myself.

Mr. Collins once metioned to me, when I was urging him to publish so many
new plants of his Herbarium, etc.  That the first thing he would do, would be if he
ever could! to describe the [Caricer & Grafhs] & next to set us all right, meaning
that he should endeavour to settle the [synonimy] of us all.

A popular botanico-agronomical work on our [graphs] is however a desideratum
such a one, you ought to undertake, unless you mean to give us a mere suplemt [supplement]
to Muhlenberg, which might also be useful.

I have not seen the mineralogy of Burton.  Yours of New York will be as
good if you adopt the sinoptical compact form.

I am now engaged on Erpetology [Herpetology].  Mr Green means to undertake the natural
History of our Reptiles, & I am writing for him a series of Letters to be published
in Silliman's journal, wherein I enumerate more than 250 N. Am [North American]
Reptiles, whereof about 50 or 60 New Ones, which I describe.

I have not collected any remarkable or rare minerals in my lete travels,
but many organic remains, highly interesting.

Where is Mr. Knevels? & Dr. Eddy?  What are they doing?

I am glad to hear that you conceive, [crossed out:that] you may [added:acquire] gradually a more critical
eye in Botany, since you have already perceived that you have been mistaken
now & then.  So have I, & every one else, and there is no shame, but ment [meant] to
acknowledge [added:it], since every own correction proves a degree of self improvement.

You will then probably be convinced that Gaultheria ? hispidula, which has
been put into 4 different genera Gaultheria, Vaccinium, Oxycoccus & Arbutus
belongs to neither, by four chances out of five, & that it must form my
N. G. Glyciphylla.  That my Lithospermum tenellum is not a Myosotis and
much less the Myosotis arvensis of Europe which I know well! That thes [these] [added:and] [calice]
caroliniana Walt. is not [this?] Limonium of Europe which I know well!  Etc.

If you were to go study the European plants on their native soils, you
would soon become convert to my belief that out of the remaining plants
now thought common to both continents, one half at least are yet different.
This however not not include Cryptogamic plants.  The acurate [accurate] Mr. Bradburry
is of my opinion & even carries it so far, that he [crossed out:says] [added: told me when I saw him in Kentucky it would be better
even to doubt of the identity of our Linnea borealis! than to admit it without
ocular comparison on the actual native soils.

Kindly Your good friend

C. S. Rafinesque

        