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January 1, 1858.
R. Kennicott
A happy New Year to you! Your letter finds me in the midst of the tug of war – bella! - horrida bella! – putting forth every energy to conquer my Third Report, and put in hors du combat. I am finishing and sending off Manuscript to the printers by every mail, as fast as I can possibly finish it. Some 30 or 40 pages yet remain to complete the task. And it is slow, tedious work, when the matter for every sentence must be looked into, and specimens and books conned over, with every line I write. I do not remember whether I have informed you, that in this and the following Reports I design to post up the whole subject of our Economical Entomology, giving every species at present known to be injurious; - stating the injury it does, and its appearance in its larva, pupa and perfect states, and the volume and page where it will be found fully described. This present Report will only complete those injurious to Fruit trees – about 200 species. Only a hundred copies of this Report will be done up separately, for me, in pamphlet form. And, being stereotyped, when I have gone over the whole subject, the whole will be reprinted in a volume together. I do not get my copies from the printers till 3 or 4 months after the printing is done. I will endeavor to bear it in mind to send you a copy as soon as I receive them.
If I had sent out by mail all I had to distribute the past year, it would have increased my postage bill to upwards of a hundred dollars, as prepayment is now required in all cases. And that is more money than I can afford to spare. Therefore
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I delayed, for opportunities to send through other channels.
I have not sent my 1st & 2d Reports to the Smithsonian Library yet. I was anxious to color the figures in copies, for that Institution, for N. Y. State Library, Harvard, Astor, and some others. But I do not see as I am ever going to get time to do this job, trifling as it is, and shall probably have to send them all out with the figures plain.
I have heretofore sent you a copy of Senate Doc. No. 30. I have only three copies of this now left, one of which must go to Dr. Morris of Baltimore. If you need it for reference whilst in Washington, you will find it in the Smithsonian Library (I doubt not) in the Fourth Report of the N. Y. State Cabinet of Nat. Hist.
As to Lepidoptera, I should be glad to ticket your specimens, if I find I shall have time to do it. Boxes have come in to me, chiefly of Lepidoptera, from Iowa, Western Pa. and different parts of this state, which I have not yet had time to open; and one is on its way from Arkansas. I have promised to return an equivalent for the two first of these boxes, before spring. As I shall have to go over the Lepidoptera therefore, I can probably take up yours with the others, and I should be glad of the information as to localities &c. which your specimens would give me. If there is a probability I can do this work for you, I will let you know, in season to send them on. There is a half a dozen other things which I ought to do up this winter – which I must do, if possible – either one of which would occupy me the whole season, if I could give so much time to it.
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Have you any considerable number of Homoptera and Hemiptera? I am better posted in them than in anything else, and must go over my collection, to make some returns to European correspondents which have already been deferred too long. And I would probably ticket these for you as readily as the Lepidoptera.
For several years I have had it in contemplation to visit Washington, to see the Smithsonian collections, and renew my acquaintance with Prof. Henry – in whose company I took my first step in the pursuit of science, in an expedition of Prof. Eaton’s school to Lake Erie. He has doubtlessly wholly forgotten me, as we were never much acquainted, and have not seen each other for nearly thirty years. I have been too busily occupied of late years to feel that I had a single day to spare. But I am almost fully resolved to visit Washington this winter. If I can break away from my work I will do so. And I will then take a look at their the Smithsonian Lepidoptera. If the collection is an extensive one, so that studying it out will considerably augment my own knowledge, I shall delight to take it in hand, provided I can give up the time to it which it will require.
Yours truly, Asa Fitch.
