
          Recd. Dec 22
Ansd. [Answered] Feby. [February] 6th

Lexington , Ky Decr. [December] 13th 1835.

My dear Sir

Some weeks ago I had the pleasure of
recieving [receiving] your welcome favour of the 9th Oct. but it
was not until about ten days ago that the parcels of plants 
therein mentioned came to hand. They were, I need not 
assure you, highly interesting and most acceptable to us, especially 
those from Alabama and Florida, which were entirely
new to us. How do you obtain such excellent specimens 
from these quarters? Are there any resident botanists 
there? In spite of all my efforts to disseminate some 
information as to the method of preserving specimens, I get nothing 
from the West or South but most miserable things. The 
best specimens have been from Dr. Leavenworth, recently stationed
at Fort Towson, Arkansas; but owing to the great difficulties 
of communication between this and that, almost 
everything he has sent me has been lost. He is now transferred 
to Key West, and I am not informed of the nature
of the field which he will there have opened to him. Should
you feel disposed to share in his collections made there, I
am sure it will afford him pleasure to serve you, and the
intercourse between that station and New York must be frequent.

I believe that I informed you in my last of
my excursions to "the Barrens" of this State, and of the collections
there made. With that trip terminated, my out-door labours
        