MY DEAR FATHER,--Through the favors of a kind Providence, my journey is safely brought to a close. I am happy to inform you that I reached New York last evening in the ship Toronto, after a passage of thirty-five days. I left London on the last of September, and Portsmouth on the 1st ult. The steamship Great Western, which left on the 19th of last month, reached New York two days before us! Our voyage was a rather pleasant one, although we had nearly forty passengers. It was rather rough, but no very hard gales. I was sea-sick but a single day, and then but slightly. I have brought with me nearly the full amount of my purchases of books for the Michigan library, a large collection. I am waiting to hear from Detroit to know whether it will be necessary for me to go up there this fall. I hope I shall not be obliged to make this journey until spring. I shall not come up to see you until I hear from Michigan, when I can take Sauquoit in my way if it be necessary to go to Michigan. I am now busy in getting my boxes and parcels through the custom-house, which is a tedious business. I hope I shall be allowed to remain here during the winter, as I have a great deal to do here. I find here a letter from my friend Dana, of the Exploring Expedition, dated Valparaiso. He seems not very well satisfied with his situation. I have not heard from any of you for a full year. Perhaps one of my sisters will favor me with a letter now that I am so near. Love to all. CHAPTER IV. A DECADE OF WORK AT HOME. 1840-1850. On Dr. Gray’s return from Europe, the University of Michigan not yet needing his services, he settled in New York to work on the “Flora of North America.”[122] In 1841 he made his first journey to the mountains of North Carolina, of which he wrote an account in the “American Journal of Science” in the form of a letter to Sir William Hooker. The country west of the Mississippi was just now opened to exploration, and for some years continued to afford an immense amount of new material to the botanist. Dr. Gray, and his friends Dr. Torrey and Dr. Engelmann especially, interested themselves in sending collectors with the various expeditious, explorations, boundary surveys, etc., and were kept very hard at work in studying and distributing the several collections as they came in. The difficulties of communication were great, postage was very dear, and the post-office rule that sheets, no matter of what size, could be sent as one letter, while the addition of any separate inclosure was utterly forbidden, added difficulties almost insurmountable to the transmission of any specimen. Even as late as 1850 the large parcels from St. Louis were sent by steamboat to New Orleans and then by sailing vessel to New York or Boston.