Transcribe Morong, Thomas. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1879-01-24)

[page 2] found that yours was a trustworthy institution, it seemed to me that the plan would harmonize perfectly with your enterprise. My idea was still further confirmed by Dr Evay of Cambridge Mass. Noticing a package of your plants one day, that had been sent to the Herbarium for identification, he observed to me that if you would engage a thoroughly competent botanist to take charge of such a department in your establishment & devote his whole time to it, you would probably succeed not only in making a profitable thing out of it, but also do something to promote botanical science.

       Now if this idea strikes you fa=

vorably, & we could make an ar= rangement mutually satisfactory, I am strongly inclined to engage in such an undertaking myself. As I am a stranger to you, a word of self introduction will not be out of place,