Engelmann, George Apr. 10, 1860 [1] (seq. 80)

St Louis April 10 1860

Dear Gray

Thanks for your long letter
and thanks for the trouble you have
taken in copying {Claude} Gay's Cacti. —
I knew that Gay was very unreliable,
nevertheless it must be studied.
I see again, how negligent {Wilhelm G.} Walpers
has been. He copies the descriptions
of 3 of Gay's new Cacti and leaves
out the fourth. — So he did with my
Cacti and with many other things.
Is {Karl} Müller, his successor, more accurate?

I continue to work on Cacti and
had the pleasure to receive the other
day seeds of the somewhat obscure
Leuchtenbergia from Erfurt; the
flower itself is not well described,
though figured in Hook. bot. Mag.
I do not want to trouble you with
copying Gay's Cacti but at some
future day you will perhaps have the
goodness to lend me both {Friedrich Anton W.} Miquel's
Melocacti as Gay's Flora vol III.
By the way, have you sent the parcel
of plants to Torrey & Thurber?

The most interesting thing I have
to communicate to you is that Boissier
has examined the original specimen of
Michaux {Euphorbia} pubescens & mercurialina

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that I want him to pay good
attention to my pets — Cacti especially
but they ought to have ripe fruit also.

When you send to me include if
you please the Expl. Exp. Botany.
I shall pay the $15 to Fendler
for you. Vol 2d same as soon
as finished. —

You have to build an addition
to your house for Herbarium!
I can sympathise with your troubles!

My medical practice is increasing
and steals away my time. When
I will be able to give it up and
live from my income I know
not yet. I am glad the Cacti
and Cuscutae are done so far;
I am now at least no longer
under any obligation to others,
though it may sometimes be
good to be pushed.

I can read your writing
well enough, but Boissier's often
puzzles me. How is it with mine
to you?

Ever truly yours
G Engelmann
St Louis April 17