
          Washington Dec 15 1857

My dear Sir,

Your welcome letter of the 12th inst was recd
this morning. I wrote to you some weeks since but directed my letter to
Princeton instead of New York, so I suppose you did not receive it.
On Saturday a gentlemen called upon me with a portfolio of plants that 
were collected by my mormon assistant, on his rturn to Salt Lake.
They are few in number, but appear to be in very good condition.
They were all collected on the North side of the Platte, & might be interesting
as furnishing some comparison with my collection which as
you know was made altogether on the south side of the river. I will 
forward them to you this afternoon. If you find any amongst them
worthy of attention, it would perhaps be as well to add them to our list,
as they were made by one of my own people, who was in my paya t the time.
I am much pleased to find that you think the collection
will not be discreditable. I own I was somewhat fearful about it after 
the scurvy trick played me by my naturalist Dr. Blake. I do not
know how he fares in your hand, but both Hall & Baird condemn
his ignorance, in minerology & zoology without measure.
I rec'd a letter from prestele enclosing his bill for the work, which
I handed to Ackerman, who has the contract with the Senate, & to 
whom the Stones are forwarded for printing. I have not seen any 
of the proofs, but hope they are satisfactory to you. The proofsheets of the
letter [press?] shall be sen you, as you desire.

I am, My dear Sir
Yours very truly
Howard Stansbury

Prof John Torrey 
New York

        