WCP441

[1]

Washington.

April 5th /[18]87

My dear Annie¹

I am leaving Washington tomorrow going first to Cincinnati & then on to Iowa and Kansas & perhaps to California. I have been today to see the President — a private visit but a very common place [sic] one. He talked about California its wines and raisins chiefly. I sent off the 2nd. lot of plant from here — these cont[ainin]^g the Eucalyptus, on Wednesday Feb. 23.

On Monday, March 28th., I sent a box to Miss Jekyll² with a nice lot of spring plants & wrote to her same time. Yesterday I sent a box to your father³ with about 100 bulbs of the yellow Dog’s Tooth Violet which grows here in the woods. also [sic] some rare & curious orchises⁴, & wrote him about them. You can see both these letters so that I need not write about them over again. all boxes same as yours.⁵ I have been making enquiries about lectures next year & have seen a gentleman of great [2] experience and he thinks the failure[?] is all owing to Mr. Williams’ bad management, & to Rev[erend] J. G. W.’s having been such a stick at the lecturing business. He has recommended me to apply to another Lecture Bureau to see what engagements they can get me next season, & he thinks that probably I should do well. So I shall try at all events as it will do no harm to see what they can get⁶ & if not enough I need not go.

I have made some very nice friends here and am rather sorry to leave them all but not having had one lecture here in three months I must cut. I have seen a good deal of Prof. Coues⁷. He is very jolly.

Any more of the printed receipts for books to Washington go for [3] a halfpenny stamp if you turn the flap of the envelope inside & do not stick it.

I enclose the certificate of life & receipt for the Pension, which you can take to the Bank as [MS blotted]ore.

I find I have quite forgotten to write to Mr Stanford but I will do so. I have heard nothing of the Marshalls Dickeinsons as I could hardly expect to. I am in the midst of packing up. It is a dreadful trouble each time I move. The Americans all have one huge trunk with trays, which holds everything & costs no more ^moving than one small one. If I go again I will not take half what I took this time. More than half the things I have never used.

I am in my good health — either the warm houses, or the good living or the American climate agrees [4] with me. I do hope I shall get to California, but it costs as much as from England to America & back! so I cannot afford it if I have no lectures there & have asked John⁸ in that case to meet me half way at the Rocky Mountains and spend a week with me there.

Your winter appears to have been as bad as ours here, where every body [sic] says so severe and late a spring was hardly ever known.

I will write again when I get settled in Cincinnati.

With love to Violet & William⁹ & kind regards to all friends,

Believe me | Your affectionate husband | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]