Transcribe Ward, Henry A. Letter to Orton, James (1852-04-19)

I have made but three orders of Rocks. The Aqueous Metamorphil & Igneous still keeping in their arrangement on the shelves the order in which they occur from the top down. I have divided the fossils into two groups, the Fauna's & Flora. After thinking considerable on it choose this simple an theoretical way as they will be used in teaching. I know you laugh at me Orton for bothering myself so about that collection but actually became more interested in it than I have been in my own, although it has taken up my time far less. It has however been of advantage to me in other things than mere pleasure. I have learned a great deal by it as the specimens were chiefly without labels & i had to study out what they were by means of Jack knife Blowpipe, Acids & e. It has also added to my own collection more than a peck of specimens which were duplicates I agreed to do them for nothing but just before I came away Mr. Nichols of his own accord gave me $17. as a trifling remuneration for my trouble.So much for that cabinet. It is done & i will agree never to bore you about it any more. I had intended to spend the past week in looking up fossils in the Genessee valley where some very fine ones are found, but we had a heavy snow a few days before which made the ground muddy. I made up my mind however not to lose the week entirely. So on Wed. morning I took my hammer & e. & taking the cars was soon among the sand stones & ? at Medina. It rained hard all day but I could not afford to go back & so with my umbrella was out all day. At night I collected all my specimens & packed up a tea chest of them. In the evening I went on to Lockport & spent the next day overlooking