News of relatives and friends in Hanover. Caroline Herschel is working on catalog of nebulae. [Letter continued 7 Oct. in Minden:] News of German scientists. Suspects that JH and H. W. M. Olbers are distantly related.
News of relatives and friends in Hanover. Caroline Herschel is working on catalog of nebulae. [Letter continued 7 Oct. in Minden:] News of German scientists. Suspects that JH and H. W. M. Olbers are distantly related.
Will return earlier than planned. Comments of Mrs. Moorsom's misfortune and new children born to Baldwins and Babbages. [Letter continued in Rotterdam:] Journey from Cleves [Kleve] to Rotterdam. Report of new propulsion device for sailing vessels.
Received JH's letter from Munich. Arrangements for getting JH's belongings through Customs. Will meet JH in London. Mr. Pitt is unable to paint telescope tube due to foul weather. Scandal of Mr. White's will. Recent deaths.
Painting of telescope begun. Thomas Baldwin Jr.'s wife soon to give birth. Charles Babbage reported being robbed.
Happy to be reunited with mother. JH thanks CH for his enjoyable stay in Hanover. Wishes CH well on her [catalogue of] nebulae.
His recent tours in Italy and Germany, and the people he met.
Is glad to hear of his speedy return. Regarding JH's instruments and their passage through the customs. Is writing a book on Assurance Companies.
Finds no errors in JH's letter on the parallax of Mars. Sends his own calculations. Has not found the barometrical readings JH requested.
About the last part of JH's continental travels, including his visit to Caroline Herschel.
Congratulates Smith on his return to health and goes on to praise Smith's "most valuable and learned works on botany", the women in his family are especially delighted with the "The English Flora" and Smith's "precision" compares favourably to the "vapid conversations and trite introductions to botany that have lately appeared". For the sake of women readers suggests that in his "Introduction to Botany" Smith accentuates the "peculiar" words so as to aid pronunciation.
He and James Backhouse found 'Woodsia hyperbora' growing near High Teesdale, Yorkshire, last summer. Was unable to find 'Cyathea dentata', though may have mistaken 'Woodsia hyperbora' for it. 'Cyathea fragilis', 'Asplenium viride', and 'A. trichomanes' grow there abundantly. Sending specimens of the 'Woodsia hyperbora'. Found 'Aspedium lobatum' in woods near Redcar, [Yorkshire].
Apologises again for apparent attacks on Smith in "Flora Scotia", which he will correct in the next edition; thanks for mention of botanical errors, but still differs on matters of opinion, including: does not agree about 'Salix', maintains criticism of "English botany" figure of 'Aquilegia vulgaris', cannot credit Smith for his work on 'Mentha' due to space, took his ideas on sexes of 'Tussilago' from multiple authors. Most hurt that Smith believes rumours that John Lindley [(1799-1865)] was the principal author, explains his involvement.
From Smith's paper on 'Hypnum recognitum' in "Linnean Transactions" vol 13 presumes he has not seen his own account of 'Hypnum recognitum' in "Flora Londinensis". Concedes he made an error respecting 'Rubus chamaemorus'.
Returns plates [for "Flora Graeca"] with his approval; unfortunate accident with drawing of 'Reseda alba', though it is only the first accident of the kind. Sowerby's name engraver is a "precious blockhead", wishes him to copy only what he writes. Instructions on use of capital letters.
Uncertain what sort of zoologists Sowerby is working with, "but most of them now are doing all they can to corrupt the science, splitting & subdividing without science or learning"; laments the mischief caused at the British Museum by [William Elford] Leach, "his labours [...] are only a monument of his insanity". Discusses 'Patella craniolaris' of Linnaeus. His late complaint of cholera "quite gone". Sends 10 drawings, 476-485.