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Correspondence of Charles Mohr and G. W. Clinton (Updated August 5, 2003) |
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The
Correspondence of Charles
(Carl) Theodore Mohr (1824‑1901) and George
William Clinton (1807‑1885) 1874 Vol. 10 no. 116 [A 206 by the page] Mobile February 23d 1874 Hon. Judge G. W. Clinton My dear Sir! The determinations of my smal collection of Hepaticae made
in Mexico have finally arrived a few days ago. According to my promise I send
to you by to days mail a set of the same; The numbers on the cards correspond
with those of the enclosed labels. It gives me much pleasure to be by this
enabled to present you your Society this last and for such a long series of
years so much neglected part of my collections of mexican cryptogams. Did you ever hear any thing of the mexic. Glumaceae. You
had the kindness to place for me in the hands of the late Prof. Torrey? Hoping that these lines will find you in the enjoyment
of good health. I remain wth the sincere wishes for your welfare and
happiness as ever Your friend Carl Mohr Recd' March 2. [ On February 26, 1874, Elizabeth Atwater of Chicago, Illinois wrote to George Clinton: "A thousand thanks to you Sir for having so kindly named a large portion of my plants. I do hope you may sometime go to California and see them in all their freshness and beauty. I forwarded a small collection to your friend Dr. Mohr, who is very enthusiastic over them, having duplicates of only three plants of those wh. I sent. Dr. M. in a recent letter says ~I hope to be able to give, by the next spring publicity to my observations upon the biological flora of the Gulf region, and the geographical distribution of mosses in the southern U.S. in general, which to the bryologist has remained, to this day almost a terra incognita". I may have mentioned this to you. In his last letter he expresses a fear that other imperative duties will prohibit for the present the realisation of this hope."]. Vol. 10 no. 146 [A 157] [embossment] Mobile May 20th, 1874 Hon. G. W. Clinton, Esteemed friend! By this I come to invoke your aid in the determination
of the enclosed peculiar plant. The anatomical structure of its stem and
leave as I can make it out would place it amongst the Lycopodiaceae, but on the
other hand we have no plant of that order with which it might be at all
compared with. The absence of a creeping primary stem lets me sometimes doubt
and leds [sic] me to think to place it amongst the mosses. The leaves are in
a moistened state diverging patent. Organs of fructification I could not
find. ‑ I remain very truly Yours Chas. Mohr P.S. The plant was sent from Baton rouge [sic] La. Rec'd
May 26. Vol. 10 no. 161 [A 131, 132, 133, 134 one sheet] [embossment: capitol and the word "Congress"]
Hon. G. W. Clinton. Mobile May 10th.
1874. My very dear friend! It was indeed an hour of joy to me which brought me your
kind letter. I was gladdened to the bottom of my heart to find myself still
remembered by you and to perceive, that you have overcome the burden of your
sufferings, that you have gained strength to raise yourself above the same
and to turn anew your affections to those who delight in and cherish your
respect and friendship. ‑ My deepest sympathies have been always with
you; sometimes I feeled [sic] much grieved that I had to miss your kind and
intresting communications which have always been to me the messengers of joy
and pleasure; So much needed when I feel myself weary despondent and
discouraged upon my walk of life. ‑ On the treshold [sic] of the fifth
decade of my years I find myself deprived of that firmess and that placid
security of ones existence, which one suppose to have been achieved at this
period of life after the toils and cares of many years; I feel myself
wavering under the adverse currents which affect injuriously almost every
member of this business community more or less. This feeling of insecurity
about not only mine but of that of those dependent upon me in my state of
shattered health wheighs [sic] heavily upon me and sapps all the pleasures of
existence. Under circumstances like these I have not been able to
do anything in the way of botanical collections. Attending to my business
without the help of an assistant all chances to resume my health giving
rambles in our [piny?] woods are cut off. I intend to work up my notes upon the bryologies of the
Gulf region for publication, but have to defer it to other more propitious
times; to make the same as complete and of the value I wished them to be a
trip to the Cypress forests of Louisiana and an exploration of the rocky
& hilly country bordering the tide water region of this coast I deemed as
absolutely necessary to verify observations, fill up gapes [sic] and remove
doubts about new species in getting better and more specimens. Last year I did receive a nice collection of mosses from
a kind friend in Oregon, which intrested me deeply; the species new to me I
handed over to my kind correspondent in Halle, Dr. C. Mueller who described
two species amongst the same new to science, he send me his manuscript of the
descriptions with the request to publish the same in one of our scientific
journals with some introductory remarks of my own. This request did give rise
to my additions to the Bryologie of the U.S. the first no, of which notes on
the bryologie of Oregon appeared in the January No. of the Bulletin of the
Torry [sic] Club, N.Y. ‑ In the february No you will find the
description of the beautiful Bartramia (Philonotis) Mohriana C. M. and a smal
[sic] but intresting Hypnum of this region. I hope to be able to make up a smal package of Mexic.
Mosses, species newly described by Muller since I send you the first as also
a few other novellitys [sic], or raritys from our South. The Spring flora is
over, continued wet and cool weather had spoiled much of its wonted beauty,
and cut the time of their splendor of our roses, Verbenas etc. a very short;
Summer since the last 5 days has visited us and we enjoy at present moment 82* ‑ in the shade. Hoping sincerly to be favored
soon again with good news from you I remain with the best wishes for your
welfare and happiness, as ever Yours C. Mohr [Written in the margin "Please give my best
respects to Miss WIlson.] [Clinton's handwriting at the end: "C. Mohr, Mobile, May 10, 1874,
ans'd"] Vol. 10 no. 197 [A 57, 58, 59 one sheet] [embossment the Capitol and the word
"Congress"] Mobile November [17?] 1874 My dear friend! I have latly [sic] employed the few hours I have to
spare for the systematic study of the structure of the leaves of the
different tribes and many generas of the mosses; By this I have come across
the egreggious [sic] blunder I made in suspecting the moss of which I did
send you sprig a few months ago, to be a Lycopod. I am sure now that it
belongs to Polytrichum gracile Menz. [male sign = the perigoniophore of a
dioicous moss]. I most sincerely hope, that these lines will find you in
good health and I shall be glad indeed if I receive that good news from
yourself. ‑ I have been going on pretty well during the fall, the
unclouded skies and even temperatures prevailing in this region during the
last 3 months have given me a respite from the attacks of my old ills; It is
however different now, since clouds, and rains and autumnal storms have
visited as I had to succumb again. ‑ I often revel in my imagination in
the remembrance of the perpetual spring in the plateaus of the mexican Andes,
where rheumatism is as unknown as frosts and snow. Being completely cut off from all chances of botanizing,
I still keep up a livly intrest particular in mosses. I have latly
received a collection of about 180 species of Plants from the Gila river,
south eastern California [N. Mex.?] I am sorry to say only in single and
those often very poor of each species. ‑ I have been able to make out
most of the genera and some of the species with the aid of the diff.
[=different?] botanical reports on my hands, but for the description I find
particularly in the mex. B. Rep. [Mexican Boundary Report] constantly
reference to Grays plantae Wrightianae and Torrys Pl. fendlerianae; Could you
procure the loan for me of both or the one or the other of those
publications? If so I would return the same soon in the best order. ‑ I have received latly the publication containing the
descriptions of my Musci Mexican. new to science by Dr. K. Mitten [?]. You
can imagine how much pleasure I did derive to study the same over with this
aid before me. ‑ In the hope
to receive of you soon the news of your happiness and welfare and begging you
to remember me kindly to the esteemed Miss M. Wilson I remain as ever Yours truly C. Mohr Rec'd Nov. 21. [Gray,
A. 1852 Plantae wrightianae texano‑neo‑mexicanae: an account of a
collection of plants made by Charles Wright, A. M., in an expedition from
Texas to New Mexico, in the summer and autumn of 1849, with critical notices
and characters of other new or interesting pl. Washington. Not
Torrey but rather Gray, A. 1849. Plantae fendlerianae novi‑mexicanae:
An account of a collection of plants made chiefly in the vicinity of Santa
Fe, New Mexico, by August Fendler, with descriptions of new species, critical
remarks, and characters of other undescribed or little known plants from
surrounding regions. Mem. American Acad. n. ser. 4:1‑116. Full
Title: (Title Page to) Report on the United States and Mexican Boundary
Survey, Made Under The Direction of the Secretary of the Interior, By William
H. Emory, Major First Cavalry And United States Commissioner ... Washington:
Cornelius Wendell, Printer. 1857. House of Representatives, 34th Congress,
1st Session. Ex. Doc. No. 135. (Two volumes.) The botanical and
zoological information is published in the second volume.] |
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