Asa Gray correspondence files of the Gray Herbarium, 1838-1892 (inclusive). Correspondence with George Engelmann, 1857-1884. Botany Libraries, Archives of the Gray Herbarium, Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, Mass.

St Louis Oct 24 1858

My dear Doctor

Your boxes came to hand a day before the letter announcing them! I have been unable to unpack them yet as I am still unfixed. While I have been busy in getting my house in order and to arrange the room where I keep my herbarium and books better, safer and more convenient than it has been before, my professional occupation has been gradually increasing though I have avoided to advertise my return to St Louis, and I find devoting a good deal of my time "nolens volens" to the practice of medicine. The illusion of increased ease and leisure is fast dissipating!

Has Grisebach done any thing with the Cuba plants? How does Buckley — does he dry plants also?

Where will Wright go to, and when — the same eastern part of Cuba? He should not forget

[last page] put to the account of travellingexpenses. The boxes were in a dilapidated condition when they came here — and must have been very roughly handled —

I shall write more and work more when I am quietly settled down. My and my wife's kindest regards to Mrs. Gray.

Has Ida Agassiz returned? How is she, remember us to her and her father if you see them.

Do you hear from Hooker? What is the Doctor doing? —

Yours ever truly

G Englemann

What kind of a man is {Edward} Tatnall young, old? industrious, faithful? veraceous, accurate ? zealous?? What his profession?

Cactus fruits and seeds; full notes besides specimens.

Thanks for the communication about Sagittaria. I was unaware of the large size of these bulbs — but the tubers themselves are well known to our ducks, who fill their stomach with them. I noticed these bulbs, as the end of stolons repeatedly, and again at Cambridge, in fresh pond, where I think we examined them together: those were small, however. Our Sagittaria stolonifera in Pl. Lindh. (= Sagittaria graminea) is another instance of stolons, but they grow at once (in a southern climate!) to be leaf bearing plants, with roots etc. But this question has induced me to look more closely to the rhizomes of these plants. It seems to me that most probably all the perennial Sagittaria occasonally or usually bear stolons, but that we have also annual Sagittarria, and that perhaps my {Sagittarria} calycina and {Sagittarria} pusilla are such annuals?

It seems that the high waters of last summer prevented the germination or development of

{Sagittarria} calycina this season, and consequently all the plants which I could find (in the same little pond explored 2 years ago) were very small "pusillae" — often even uniflorous — Not a single large plant which were abundant in that spot two years ago, could now be found. Have they all been destroyed by high water, drowned out, or do they die every fall? The plants should be cultivated and studied in the garden. – Some Alismataceae are certainly annual, so our little Echinodorus parvulus.

Shall I return this letter of Prof Darlington? Yes!

Mr. Tatnall wrote me some time ago enclosing some Cuscutae and an Isoetes which looks very much like our Missouri plant. I have not been able to examine it yet, so as to answer his letter.

The boxes cost as you supposed a heap of money — $18.60, which might have been employed better — but all that must be yet

St Louis Octob 30th 1858

Dear Gray

We had great pleasure yesterday, unpacking those boxes! Now all the contents reminded me of our stay with you, of the botanic garden, fresh pond, the White Mountains and so forth!

But — you know there are always buts but I find also how small my room, and what is still worse — how limited my time is! — I am in the practice of medicine again — and though not fully occupied, find that these delightful quiet morning hours are gone [?] preoccupied! — Well I shall see.

You know that Fendler has arrived. He seems to be willing to stay here and try some business

I am very sorry that I can not do any thing for Caspary here in Nymphaeaceae. The high waters seem to have played the deuce with these waterplants!! no fruit! drowned out! in some places.

He desires me to copy for him Rafinesques article Nympheides in American monthly magazine 1819 p. 193 which he can not find in Europe he says.

Can you lay hand on it and have it copied by some body at my expense? You would do me a great favor.

You told me how much I owe you for Wright — but I have forgot — tell me at once and I will forward to gether with the above amount for copy. —

GE

distilling or something like it. Shaws herbarium has also arrived in Washington. Fendler with his sense of neatness and order would be a capital Curator, and could be spared occasionally for excursions to Utah etc but I do not know whether Shaw would enter into such a plan. I must be very cautious in approaching him. The herbarium to him is a very secondary thing to the garden.

I miss in the box the Mosses of {Charles L.} Lesquereux which I bought when in Cambridge. I believe I paid the amount to you, but do not know whether they have been sent to you, or whether I have to expect them from Columbus.

Have {Carl} Anderssons plants arrived? I have a letter from him, that

he would or had sent them to you. —

I find that you have at the College a young friend of mine, Edw.. McCabe, the eldest son of a deceased physican, one of my earliest and truest friends in St Louis. I doubt that he has any taste for natural sciences. His mother tells me that he intends to study law.

I begin to feel a little more at home, and am now commencing to arrange my herbarium — a herculean labor. I must needs to that — but believe must work my Cuscuta material into some shape before any thing else.

My and wife's kindest regards to Mrs Gray

Yours ever G Engelmann

over

As to your medical questions, I can not say much.

Yellow fever I know personally only from sparse cases carried up here by steamboats. Our climatic fevers are rife among the old french population which abounds in the miscreantic districts of the "American bottom" so that they are certainly not exempt from those influences; — whether less liable, I can scarcely say, but believe not, under equal circumstances. Many of them live there since generations and a sorry set they are, with sallow faces, [turned?] spleens and livers etc. If a light complexioned (teutonic) person gets the fever easier, I would ascribe it to his being less acclimated, or to his exposing himself more.

I will make further enquiries.

Our kindest regards to Mrs Gray and to the Agassiz family.

Ever yours G Engelmann

Among Hayden's Plants I find a flower & find less plant; which must be an Actinella new to me, not in Flora. I propose to name it {Actinella} palmata. I include a fragment.

I am now busy at making out a Catalogue of Hayden's plants, in which I shall also include your description of Nasturtium calycinum. — Lieut. Bryan has published his report before he got your list of my brothers plants. — Have you got Bahia oppositifolia? It is also among Haydens plants.

—

St Louis Dec 16 1858

Dear Gray

Your letter of Dec 3 was received a few days ago — and I find some others unanswered! I am not myself again, still busy in getting into something like order and comfort, and the same time getting into complete practice again. I have not begun to work yet, i.e. in Botany, with the exception of a Catalogue of Haydens plants, commenced years ago; whence the above notice; he writes me however that his catalog will not be published in Lieut. Warren's Report — so the Nasturtium floats about