Transcribe Fenn, Robert. Letter to Ward, Henry A. (1855-11)

professions of German Missionary. English Minister and Botanic Physician besides being a constant reader of the Baltimore Sun. I consider this as the first friend of my authorship. It is certainly much more agreeable to have a vial of eye water sent one, on the occasion of making his debut as an author, than to have those literary doctors called critics pour out the vials of their wrath upon ones productions. I expect however the latter medicine would be by far the most beneficial in its results. I must not however proceed farther without thanking you again and again for the great interest and zeal you have manifested in my behalf. I had no thought in making the request I did of putting you to so much trouble on my account. As it was rather more from curiosity and at the suggestion of others, than from any idea of availing , myself of it by a personal application to the Dr. I had no intention of putting you to the inconvenience of hunting him up. for I knew that unless he was a man of some distinction such a search would be like looking for a needle in a hay stack. But as you were so kind as to take upon yourself that trouble I am happy to inform you that your search which was carried on with a zeal that would have done honor to a Bibliomaniac on the scent of an antiquated edition of some still more antiquated author. was crowned with triumphant success. The Dr with the unpronounceable name whose retreat you discovered was the identical person of whom I wrote you. The plan you suggest of consulting the Parisian oculist by letter is to my mind much more </s practible > practicable than that of consulting them in propria persona, not that I doubt your willingly and promptly fulfilling your part - but because my friends and myself would be unwilling to trust me so far away from home in my dependent condition. The plan certainly looks very feasible in theory but suppose the steamer should founder in the middle of the Atlantic and all on board perish what in the world would I possibly do in my helpless condition . I could never expect to see to swim ashore and I'd be just as likely to paddle lengthwise as across the Atlantic and not discover my mistake until I found myself hemmed in by the icebergs of the Antarctic whence escape would be impossible. I think there is little danger of my being seriously troubled with </u see > sickness either in going or returning yet it is this very thing which would deter me or in other words the prospects