cutler-letters_judge-davis_nodate_01

[illegible] Judge Davis
Sir, In my last I mentioned my intent to trouble you
with another letter on the subject of botany. Encouraged
by a few words of with papers on our way to call on W. Adam,
I take the liberty of informing you that it would be [crossed out] very [end crossed out]
agreeable to me to take one or two botanical pupils
for next summer. [As you have a taste for botany your
self] Botany has long been an object of my pursuit,
with ye view of publishing some all; of the vegetable products:
of ye N England states, but numerious avocations, and many
untoward circumstances, have prevented the accomplishments
of my design. The premature publications of the paper in
the Memory of the Accord. I have reflected upon, with
much regret, but could never condemn the notices
which induced me to present at the time. I intend 2 long ago to
have corrected the errors many of which [are to be found in it,
many of which unavoidably arose from the want of books,
(of which I had then no knowledge), as well as longer
practice, by communicating another paper to the
to ye Socy Acadamy. Still I flatter my self with the hope of doing
this, and something more; and feel the stronger inclusion
on the occasion of a very unaccountable in atention to
this branch of science which pervades all our literary
institutions. Natural history in its various branches
has engage the literati of Europe for years past, and
at the present time, I believe more than anything
else in the whole circle of science. There are no
medical Gentlemen of eminence some informed, who are
not acquainted with botany. And it has become
a prevailing amusement for Ladies and Gentlemen of
taste and leisure. I find, too, that students in @Physics
in the middle and southern states consider botany an
essential part of instruction to gratify them for
practice. By a letter, I received a few days ago from
a Mr. Gray, brother of a member of Congress, from
Virginia, now in Philadelphia, I am informed there are,
in the College in that city, 130 medical students,
all of whom go through a regular course of botanical
studies and attend to the practical part, under the tuition
of Dr. Barton, ye botanical [?professr?]. So it not be re-
gretted that in Massachusets not one medical Gentleman is a
Botanist?

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