From Henry Trimen   10 May 1864

71, Guildford Street, W.C.

May. 10th/64

Dear Sir

In answer to your note of May 3rd.,1 I am very sorry to be unable to give you any information about the box of Oxalis bulbs.2 My brother merely stated in a letter by the last mail that he had sent to you by a lady such a box, and that, if she were unable to forward it to you, she would let me have it instead, when I could send it on. I need hardly tell you that I have not seen the box; or that if I receive it I shall at once forward it to you.

My brother did not mention the name of the passenger, so that I am quite in the dark as to how to get at the bulbs—

Trusting that your health is improved for I hear that you have been much indisposed of late | I am, dear Sir | Your’s very sincerely | Henry Trimen

1
The letter to Trimen has not been found.
2
Trimen refers to a box of South African Oxalis bulbs sent to CD by Roland Trimen, who corresponded with CD on dimorphism in Oxalis, and sent CD specimens of dimorphic species from the Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, in 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter to Roland Trimen, 23 May [1863], and letter from Roland Trimen, 10, 13, and 18 October 1863). See also Forms of flowers, p. 169. Trimen had some difficulty in obtaining seeds, so CD had asked him to send bulbs (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter to Roland Trimen, 25 November [1863]). See also letter to Roland Trimen, 13 May 1864.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-4491,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-4491