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Correspondence of Charles Mohr and G. W. Clinton |
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The
Correspondence of Charles
(Carl) Theodore Mohr (1824‑1901) and George
William Clinton (1807‑1885) 1872 Vol. 8, no. 93 [H 127] Mobile, February 17th, 1872 My esteemed friend! Your kind lines of Decbr 14th which you did address to
me in spare moment in the midst of the discharge of your professional dutys
have given me much pleasure take my best thanks for the same. Happens from
the same that by that time my last letter did not reached you; I hope that it
arrived afterwards in due time. The ancient but ever precious advice ne sutor
ultra crepidam I follow now for my [next?] future stoically in
the strict sense of the words, till it should please fate to decree
otherwise; I can hope that my efforts spent outside my accustomed sphere of
action will result to the benefit of my children. ‑ I have latly received a lot of plants collected many
years ago by my lamented friend Dr. Denny in Clarke [Co.] of the state; I am
just busy now to determine and arrange the same, finding several species
amongst them new to me and not expected here, i.e. Cassia longisiligua [sp.?],
a Calamintha not described in Chapman, Dirca palustris, Aristolochia
tomentosa, Passiflora later [det?]; I will be able to select a nice
contribution from the flora of our state for your and the societys Herbarium.
According to the remarks of our friend Mr. Lesquereux as
quoted in your letter there is little prospect of having the mosses
determined; I have a good mind to send the same straight to headquarters; I
have through my brother in law an charge to forward a pakage to Berlin, who
could head the same to Dr. C. Mueller the author of the Synopsis; by doing so
that matter would be sooner settled than any other way. It will therefore be
best to return the pakage of mea: mosses to me, so as to give the specimen
the proper numbers as to facilitate their identification, with the named
species by Mueller. I am fully aware that Mr. Sullivans time is occupied with
the investigation of N Am. mosses in such a degree, that there is but little
time left for him for other work. Since I wrote to you last my health has often been
wretched, consequently, just as many hours as I was incapacitated for mental
work or to the discharge of my dutys, are lost to me to be devoted to
botanical pursuits. ‑ All I intended to accomplish this winter is yet
in a rudimentary state, in partial my proposed microscopical study of the
smal fungi and the preparation of a number of microscopical objects,
representing the essential characters of Generas. I have now ready a number
of slides with the peristomes of the larger number of our american generas of
mosses; during the preparation of which I did learn a good deal. ‑ My good intentions are always far in advance of
accomplished deeds, I hope and trust to time to come nearer to my aims. ‑ The fragmentary news about the arctic severity of the
winter in your regions, make me perfectly contented with the fickelness of
your clime, whose most extreme instability is often rather severe upon me.
Since the past few days the rays of the sun, hidden almost for weeks behind
the dark clouds inspires vernal feelings, under the influence of the soft
and mild atmosphere the pastures and
roadsides are interspersed with the fresh green tufts of the Poa annua, and
the pretty Houstonia coerulea spreads its slender pedicels to back its lovely
flowers in the mild rays of the sun. ‑ Hoping to hear from you soon I
remain as ever Your friend Carl Mohr Recd Feb. 24, ansd 19th ‑ having expressed the
mosses. [It
is probable that the legendary snows of winter in Buffalo were communicated
to Mohr by Judge Clinton. Dr. Denny served as president of the University of
Alabama. His colleague and fellow collector was Dr. Eugene Allen Smith, State
Geologist of Alabama who would contract with Mohr to prepare a Flora of
Alabama. Both men contributed specimens, with Mohr, to what became,
collectively, the Mohr Herbarium of the Alabama Museum of Natural History.
See introduction to this section and the URL Web site for the University of
Alabama Herbaria.] [ne
sutor ultra crepidam. Lat. "Let not the shoemaker go beyond his
last." N.B. This censure was very properly addressed by Apelles (a
distinguished painter, who flourished in the time of Alexander the Great) to
a certain shoemaker (cobbler), who found fault with an ill‑painted
slipper in one of his pictures; but when he presumed to extend his criticism
to other parts of the painting, he betrayed so much ignorance as to elicit
from the painter this rebuke. No one should presume to give his opinion in a
province of art in which he is only a dabbler." pp. 287‑288 A New
Dictionary of Quotations.] Vol. 8, no. 103 [H 117] [An embossed crown and the word "Imperial" ] Mobile, March 1st, 1872 Dear friend! The evening of 27th, ult. I had the pleasure to call at
Mrs. Atwater and I can assure you I did spend a most agreable hour in
the society of the Lady and her husband. I was exceedingly sorry that the Lady did not find me at
my place of business when she called there the same morning. A severe attake
of my rheumatismus (the very bane of my life) had confined me to my room at
that time, else no doubt would have had the pleasure to accompanie her on a
little excursion in our imidiate neighborhood or show her some of our floral
treasures in my herbarium; I learned only late in the evening before her
departure from this place that she had called at the store. ‑ That
fatal rhematism has robbed me of many a precious hour and many a cherished
hope and pleasure in my life. ‑ I feel very thankful to you for the introduction of such
of your friends as happen to come to this place, such visits are indeed
welcome to me they are like cheerful sunbeams to my existence here. ‑ I wish from all my heart a friendly destiny would give
me the pleasure to receive you once here under my humble roof; What a
glorious time We would have in rambling with you through our pine barrens and
Magnolia groves. ‑ I hope that you are in due receipt of my last of 14th P.
M. [?] ‑ I remain as ever Yours truly Carl Mohr G. W. Clinton, Esqr. Recd March 7 [
On May 1, 1872, Elizabeth Atwater wrote to George Clinton, from Chicago,
Illinois: "Mr. Atwater called with me upon your friend Dr. Mohr. He was
not in - But paid us the compliment of a visit in the evening - with Gen'l J.
H. Simpson and family. Dr. M. was very sorry that he could not have an
opportunity of showing me his herbariums. He lives delightfully, with an
extensive conservatory filled with rare exotics. His enquiries for yourself
were most cordial - desiring us to extend to you his expressions of sincere
regard: His sister, her husband and daughter, Mr. & Mrs., and Miss
Hirsch..uel, were in our company, on the following day, and at the request of
the Dr., introduced themselve to us. They were en route for Germany, and
thought it not impossible they might visit Buffalo, and pay you a visit -
also Miss Wilson, whom the Dr. was very desirous they should see. Dr. M. told me he had supplied you with sp'ms of the Southern Flora, so that I cannot hope to send you anything which would prove of interest to you. I have preserved quite a number of plants for friends who have not the facilities for collecting them so far removed from them - as also for myslef, never having the pleasure before of plucking plants in the sunny South - or possessing sp'ms therefrom. We left New Orleans on the 26th Feby, ere the luxurient vegetation of that section was in bloom especially as the season was from "four to six weeks backward"! This was the repeated declaration wherever we went. I however managed to snatch a few plants by the wayside and from an occasional swamp by the courtesy of rail road conductors - with whom I invariably made friends at once. When
an opportunity occurs I shall venture to send you a fern from New Orleans
- plucked within a vacant tomb at the Firemens Cemetery. As it was "nothing
but a weed" the custodian not only allowed me to possess it, but expressing
himself as glad of its removal plucked it, roots and all - greatly to my
delight."] Vol. 8, no. 149 [H 69] Mobile, May 8th, 1872 G. W. Clinton Esqu. My dear friend! Take my best thanks for your kind lines of 24th of last
month; I am much obliged to you for the determination of the black fungus
upon [Persea?] caroliniensis. Enclosed I send you and for your friend Dr.
Peck ample material of, the by me supposed Strigula
feci; the more I look at this plant, the less I can believe it to be a
Lichen, particularly since I find the long hyaline filamentose cells filled
with a yellow granular matter sometimes collected in the clavate and often
bis or trichotomously divided tips of those cells, I fell puzzled and
perplexed, so that I do not know what to make of the object; ‑ You will
also find very large greenish spores well defined and of always uniform
size, free amongst the thallus and very easily separated from the same. ‑I
have no books of any kind to enlighten me, and I am very anxious to get all
the information about the peculiar structure of this plant. I possess only a
very smal specimen of Strigula feci from Ravenels herbarium for wich I am
indebted to the kindness of Miss Wilson; I am to anxious to preserve that
without further mutilation for my collection and therefore not able to study
the same further with the microscope; for the sake of comparison with my
plant. ‑ You will oblige me greatly and aid if you will send some of
the specimens to Dr. Peck and after hearing from him inform me of his opinion
of the plant. Amongst a great many specimens I examined I could never find
any asci, wich would insure me that I had it with a Lichen to do. ‑ My health is bad and it takes more than my ordinary
efforts to keep up good spirits and not to fall a prey to despondency. ‑
Summer is now upon us, 80‑85* in the shade daily since several weeks,
the Magnolias in ful flower; I wish you could enjoy the splendor of the
floral beautys of the season now shining forth in this region. ‑ Hoping that this might find you in the best of health
and spirits I remain most respectfully and truly Your friend Carl Mohr. P.S. I received the news from a friend in the Pacific Coast
that a Lady in Salt lake city would be willing to send me plants from that
region for determination. It would be most desirable for me to get to that
effect... a correspondence; can I invoke your assistance in the matter? [On
the left margin] The mosses I received the [sic] are on the way now to Dr.
Mueller in Halle. After the are determined I shall get up a good set for you
and our friends as far as my material will permit. Recd May 14. ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ Vol. 8, no. 158 [H 60] Mobile, Aug. 12th, 1872 G. W. Clinton Esqr. Dear friend! I hope that you are in receipt of my last lines which I
send to you at the commencement of this month. From a new botanical
correspondent residing in Thibodauxville, La. I received a few plants wich
are of great intrest; 1., A Cleome not described in Torr. & Gray. Its
circinate anthers, the free stamens, smal round torus and petaloid
fugacious calyx place it in another than the N. American subgenus Peritoma.
Please return if possible the specimen to me after you have determined the
same; Should I succeed to get a few more of the same I shall divide with you.
‑ 2. Calamintha ‑ with the large flowers of the C. carolinia[na?]
and the obtuse spatulate closely tomentose rigid leaves with entire revolute
margins of the C. canescens, T. & G. I have no material to compare with
specimens of the named species. Please return. (Dr. Joor
Thibodauxville La. leg.) 3. A liliacious plants received a few days ago from
Salt lake City by a friend who made a trip to California, please keep the
specimens for yourself (Rev. Dr. Nevius legit [sp.?] 4., Coreopsis.
Pascagoula April 16th, Mohr lg. I have send you this fine species 2 years ago,
if I am not mistaken with the wrong name of C. Drumondii. Is it a variety of
Coreopsis auriculata? Hoping to hear from you soon I remain most respectfully Your friend Chas Mohr Recd ["March" crossed out, "May"?,
"4" crossed out, "17".] [There
is presently a Thibodaux town in Louisiana, but not a Thiboudauxville. There
is a Pascagoula, Mississippi, but not in Louisiana nor Alabama.] Vol. 8, no. 173 [H 44 & 43 ‑ two sheets of
paper] Mobile June 11th, 1872 My dear friend! I received in due time your kind favor of May 17th
inclosing the lines of Dr. Peck; In the mean time I hope you in receipt of my
letter of about the same date enclosing several species of new and doubtful
plants wich I received partly from La [= Louisiana] and one from Salt lake
city; have you found time to examine the same? I feel quite sad that this
season I am so entirely deprived of any chance to get out of the brickwalls
of the city; our esteemed friend Miss Wilson mentioned in her last letter
that your naturalists field club arranges an excursion under your leadership
to Niagara Falls, I have no doubt that you all realised in the fullest degree
the pleasure you have [interpelated?] from the town; nothing can in my
opinion increase the intrest for natural history and scientific pursuits more
among the educated than such arrangements. ‑ I longed to be with you at
that occasion; the greatest pleasure I always found in a ramble through
fields and forrest over hill and dale with a companion of a kindred soul. ‑ The Strigula question offers increased intrest to me;
these very plants to whom we are almost unable to assign the proper place on
either line of demarcation drawn by our attempts to a natural system, are
often the very ones which help to solve disputed questions about true
affinitys; According to the definition of that what is called a Lichen, the
filaments containing the highly colored (yellowish and green) endochrome,
undoubtedly chlorophyllous granules in our plant place it in that order;
["I think" crossed out] This character must be of many wheight than
the presence or want perithecia with [sic] the Lichens have incommon with
ascomycetous [second sheet] fungi. ‑ Do you not think it
probable that the plant in question is a sterile form of the Strigula Feci in
which the greater development of the ...ys, (rather exuberant) the vegetative
organ, left no room for that of the organs of fructification?‑ A short time ago I received from our friend Prof.
Lesquereux the mosses collected by me in this neighborhood and in Louisiana.
He handed the same over to Mr. Sullivant years ago deeming the same to be of
a particular intrest to the same, having been engaged in the preparation of a
new edition of his Icones; My discoverys however, it seems did find no
place there. ‑ The[y] enbraced the following new species. Bryum Mohrii Lesqu. n.sp. Trichostomum macrostegium, Sulvt. n.sp. Syrrhopodon alabamiense, Sulvt. & Lesqu., n.sp. Zygodon obtusifolius C.M. species found before only in the [report?] Rhizogonium spiniforme C. M. new to U.St. Mexican &
W. Indian species. Racopilum tomentosum Brid. A splendid moss of eastern S.
America and the Carib. Islands. new to U.N.St. Hypnum fulv. Hook. & Wils. A very rare south.
species Leskea microcarpa W. P. Sch. collected by me at Mont[gomery?] Pilotrichum hamulosum Hook. new for the U.St. A south
americ. Species Donaldsonville, La. Desmatodon plinthobius, Sull. & Leq. Campylopus leucogaster Mull. A mexican species. New for
the U. St. I shall send you specimens of all of them for the collection
of our society and yourself. Hoping to hear from you soon I remain as ever yours truly Chas Mohr Recd June 19
ansd July 4 [The
naturalist's field club who Clinton led on a field trip to Niagara Falls must
have been the Buffalo Field Club, an earlier organization to the Buffalo
Naturalists' Field Club organized later, in 1880, by Professor Charles Linden
in Buffalo, New York.] Vol. 8, no. 198 [H 18] Mobile August 19th 1872 My dear friend! Your kind lines of July 17th as well as the decision about
the Viola I have received in due time, my sincere thanks I offer you with
this for the same; You can believe me, when I tell you that it does me good
to the innermost of my soul to find myself remembered in friendship and such
sincere regard by one to whom I look up with the deepest esteem and who has
such strong claims to my gratitude by his never ceasing efforts to please me
and gratify me in the purest pleasure of my life, pleasures in wich I find
not only recreation but peace and comfort for my mind, when in danger to fall
a prey to trouble and discontent. ‑ I appreciate highly the kind consideration and the honor
you have shown to me in giving my name to the Hawaian species of your new
[L?]eirosiphon. ‑ I wish to fall in with the good luck in discovery in
our regions here a new beautiful and intresting plants which I might dedicate
to you and return the compliment. The discoverys I have made so far in
bryologie hold out the prospect that such a thing might happen and my wish
the possibility in seeing fulfilled. ‑ I think I have not yet informed
of the fact, that our excellent friend Prof. Lesquereux has returned to me my
Mobile Mosses which as peculiarly intresting and indeterminable by myself I
had submitted to his examination during the last 6 years; Mr. Sullivant to
whom he showed the collection was highly intrested in the same, and expressed
the desire to have the same turned over to him for publication. Our friend
described amongst them 3 new species Bryum Mohrii, Lesq., Trichostomum
macrostegium Lesq. Syrrhopodon alabamiensis Lesq. new to the bryological
flora 3 species from the Western Soc. [? Society?] Islands and Mexico,
Phirogonium spiniforme, C. M. (Cypress swamps, Mobile), Racopilum tomentosum
Brid. and Campylopus leucogaster [f. ill.?] (in ageris Mobilienses), and a
species so far only found by Hooker in the mounts of Nepal, Lygodon
obtusifolius between a South american Pilotrichum (simile Neckera hamulosa
accord. to Lesqu.). ‑ I vainly indulged in the hope to meet the
description of this entirly new and the so far to the bryologie of N. Am.
foreign species in the new edition of Mr. Sullivant's Icones, but our friends
tells me that the author of that fine work could take no notice of it. Dr. Karl Mueller who had received on the [4th?] of last
June a set of my mexican mosses, has returned to me under the date of 23d of
same month the determination of 64 good species received; that shows work and dispatch. He says that he was
deeply intrested in the examination of the same and seems not the less
delighted about the abundance of most beautiful and truly intresting forms he
encountered in the collection as new to science; He established about
30 new good species of strongly marked typical characters, 1/4 of the whole
[number?] mentioned as new by Shimper a short time ago, undescribed and
unpubished yet by that Author; and the balance partly described as new, years
ago by Mueller, Hornschuch and Hampe in the Synopsis muscorum and from and
mostly peculiar to the same region [?sic]. ‑ After learning this I was
not slow to comply with the wishes of Dr. Mueller to give the balance of my
collection a close scrutinous overhauling, all that what I found by that to
be uncertain, yet new and undetermined is now swimming across the Atlantic;
it will take a short time to get a full report of the same; I shall not fail
get up a set as complet as possible for our society. ‑ I should like to
see published in some periodical a ful catalogue of the same and given an
exposition of the bryologie of the eastern declivity of the menic. [?] Andes
as far as know to day, a sort of an excursis phyto‑geographic
peculiarity of the bryological flora of that region and dwelling upon the
relationship existing between that region and other country under analogous
zones, particularly on the Americ. continent; It would such an effort form
not an unintresting contribution to the geographical distribution of musci. I suffered much latly but feel better to day. In the
hope to hear from you soon I remain Yours sincerely Carl Mohr. To Hon. G. W. Clinton [no date of receipt.] [The
Phirogonium spiniforme, C. M. (genus seems misspelled) may be referrable to
Rhizogonium spiniforme (Hedw.) Bruch ex Krauss. although that is an old
name.] ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ Vol. 9, no. 14 [C 211] [small embossed image upper left] Rec'd Nov. 3 & wrote him. Mobile, October 28th, 1872 My dear friend! Months have passed since I had the pleasure to receive
your last letter; I hope that is not illness that does prevent you to send me
one of your kind communications to which I always looked forward with such
delight. ‑ Yesterdays being a beautiful glorious autumnal afternoon, I
took a stroll with my boys in the fields and woods glowing in the splendor of
our autumnal flora, and happened to stumble over a plant entirly [sic] new to
me; As all my efforts to determine the same by the aid of my books
have been in vain, I come to the conclusion, that it is not described in any
of our published floras. ‑ Even the determination of its place in the
natural system and its affinitys give me trouble. ‑ The flowers are
smal, have been withered when I collected the same, still I take the corolla
for a polypetalous one, (if not very deeply cleft gamasepalous?) the floral
organs are arranged after the pentamerous order throughout, the 5 stamens of
a hypogenous insertion with free (unconnected) filaments, placentation
central capsule 5 celled of 5 connected carpels and loculicidal; It cannot be
a Malvaceous plant, if truly polypetalous I should take it to belong to a
family nearly allied to Malvacea. What can it be? The plant seems to be
perennial it has strong fusiform root, a stem divided in many branches from
its base, diffused and strongly prostrate, flowers pale purple; In ... pascuis
siccas [?] apricis solo argilloso ‑ arenaceo [= in ... pastures dry,
open on clayey‑sandy soil ‑ siccas should be siccis]. I send you
branchlets of the plant; you can well imagine that I am most anxious to get
your opinion of this new costumer [sic], who after all seems to be a
straggler from more southern regions; I have so far found it upon only one
spot on new made ground along a railroad embankment constructed a year ago. ‑
I have never noticed the plant before around dwellings or in our gardens. ‑ I enclose you along with it some specimens of an
Auricular ... Fungus, hymenium beautiful orange colored finely seperating
from the pileas in fine wooly fibres. I will be much obliged if you will
kindly furnish me the name of it; I have connected your name with an
interesting tropical form of a Neckera, (Neckera subgenus [paragraph sign]
Pilotrichella Mueller) Pilotrichella Clintonii Mohr, which I collected many
years ago on trees in the Cedar swamps of Louisiana near Bay... Lefouretre,
and which I have pointed out to our friend Prof. Lesquereux as a new
connecting link between our southern bryological flora and the neighbouring
tropical regions, already in the year 1866, he placed the moss near the
western Neckera hamulosa Hook., and referred the same with the others of my
Alabama mosses to Mr. Sullivant, but I have not learned that, this author has
taken any notice of the same in his late publication (2d editions of his
Icones and Mosses of North america). Unfortunatly I have only a single
specimen left, but I hope to be able at a future time to collect a new
supply. The same is the case with a new mexican Didymodon which according to
my wishes Dr. Karl Mueller (author of the Synopsis muscor. Frond.) has
dedicated to you; I had the attention of the author called to it by
designating it as new species of Symblepharis, collected on the Eastern slope
of the Pico del Orizaba 7000' altit. 1857. As accident would have it only a
few specimens have been found amongst my collection of which I kept only a
single one for myself. I am just occ... to arrange sets of my Alabama mosses
and the duplicates of my mexican collection for you and Miss Wilson. ‑
I have found that in the herbars of the academies and museums of this country
well and authentically determined mosses of the tropical regions nearest to
us (particularly of Mexico) are almost wanting, and that one good and well authenticated collection would be
exceedingly desirable in a public museum for reference by bryologists of our
country. I thought to present as complete a set of the species collected by
me in Mexico to the herbarium of the Philad. Academy; But as I have been
honored by the membership of your natural history society I feel more
inclined to bestow that little what I am able to contribute to the stores of
science rather upon your institution. ‑ Please let me know if you have
seen the new edition of the icones and if the new edition of Mr. Sullivant's
North american mosses has made its appearance; I understood that the author
has been engaged in the preparation of the same for several years. ‑
Can you report upon the few plants I send send [sic] you the past spring; a
new Capparide and a Calamintha from Thibbodauxville [Thibodaux?] La. ‑ Hoping to be favored right soon with good news from you;
I remain most sincerely Your friend Chas. Mohr To the Hon. G. W. Clinton. [Pilotrichella
Clintonii Mohr occurs in neither the recent Mexican nor Eastern North
American manuals. See Index Muscorum. ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ [On
November 4, 1872 Leo Lesquereux wrote to George Clinton: ] "I
got the mosses from Sullivant (Mohr's mosses) and returned all to him because
neither Sullivant nor myself could find time to study them. Glad to hear from
Mohr. He is an excellent man and a good botanist. Unhappily he has never got
rid of the necessity of hard work aside of science as he has a large family
to provide for and as moreover his health has troubled him constantly." ‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑‑ Vol. 9, no. 29 [C 195] Mobile Novb. 16th 1872 My dear friend! ‑ I have before me your kind letters of [1st?], 4th &
9th instant, which are full of intrest to me and give me a great pleasure
indeed; Please take my best thanks for your kind assistance in the
determination of the doubtful plants. To find the non de script Cleomella, to
be Warea amplexifolia, has quite taken the conceit out of me. Possibly I
believed the plant to have been blooming in the spring and the want of a mature
seed pod did mislead me. Since that I have received specimens, collected late
this fall from [Santa Avea?] Island. ‑ I must say that I am still
doubtful about that Calamintha coccinea. Please return to me the specimen I
send to you, it is the only one I did receive, as I would like to compared
carefully with the Cal. coccinea which grows abundantly on our dry pincheles
[?] I did send you several years ago specimens of it under the name of
Gardoquea Hor... The seeds of the [Clifortia? liga...] I hope to get in
the course of the coming week. I will forward the same immediately after
their receipt direct to Professor Gray. I rejoice with you over the great acquisition our
Society made in the acquirement of the Shimperian mosses. I shall also feel
very glad and not a little proud if you find my smal contribution of mexico
mosses and those of this region of some value and scientific interest to the
society. It shall ever be a pleasant duty with me to forward to the same all
the novelties and intresting species, I might encountre in my future
explorations of our bryological flora. I have the pleasure to forward to you
as ful a set of my mexican mosses as my material on hand would permit me to
get up; The duplicates I beg you, to devide between you and Miss Wilson; The
full set you will kindly incorporate with the moss herbarium of the society,
and in doing so, select those specimens, to which you find the most
explicitly written labels attached; [superscript work illegible] From these
labels you will be so kind and fill up the blank spaces I left, for want of
time on many of the labels of the duplicates. ‑ I regret it much, that
I am not able to furnish your society and my friends with a complete set of
all the species as established by Dr. Karl Muller; From the catalogue I send
you, you will perceive that there are many missing out of want of material,
of course all the unices [unicates?], and there has been accidently a number
of them, have been left with the author, as well as several specimens of each
of the new described species. ‑ If my friend [Oru?] Carlos Sartorius
was yet alive, I might be able to make up these defficiencies, as he took a
great intrest in the bryologie of his surroundings; It is this a new cause of
regret of the departure from this life of that veteran botanist and nestor of
science in Mexico, whose hospitable hermitage in the ever glad mountains of
the Orizava range was ever open to the travelling and ardent naturalist. ‑
The news about the Melochia is most welcome to me, I will
send you some good specimens, with the aid of which the question of its
identity with the cuban M. melissaefolia will be satisfactorily settled. I need scarly [sic] tell you, how thankfully I will
receive some of the duplicates of Schimpers europaean mosses. Having latly
established an exchange with a young bryologist in Germany I will have
shortly [=north?] middle and southwestern Germany fully represented; truly
alpine, high northern and particularly South europaean species will be
most welcome (Schimper has collected much in Spain and other countrys around
the Mediterranean). Please let me know all about the manner in which you
intend to put up your moss herbar, I am very anxious to learn your ways about
that. Has the last report upon the botany of the State of N. York by Dr. Peck
made its appearance? I see that work often quoted in the publication of
american fungi in the Grevillea [sp.?] Hoping to hear from you soon again I remain very sincerely Your friend Chas Mohr. G. W. Clinton Esqu. Rec'd Nov. 22, 23d mailed to him the Calamintha. [Carl
Christian Wilhelm Sartorius (1796‑1872), "Carlos:" his
herbarium is at the Smithsonian Institution (US) with specimens principally
from Mirador, Veracruz, Mexico, with additional specimens at various herbaria.
C.C.W.Sartorius also had a son, Florentin who collected mostly mosses from
Mirador, collecting between 1873 and 1885. His specimens are in Berlin (B),
the British Museum (BM) and the Smithsonian (US). General moss collections as
"Sartorius" are found at Helsinki (H), Finland (Vegter, J. Hettie.
1986. Index Herbariorum. Part II (6) "Collectors 'S'", Regnum
Vegetabile vol. 114, Utrecht, Netherlands).] |
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