From Dawson Turner to Ellen Hutchins   6 Dec 1808

My dear Madam

I trust you have long before now received the letter that I wrote you early last month; your not having answered which is a thing I am far from complaining of, tho’ the hearing from you, if only a few lines, would be a very great satisfaction to me, as I should at least be acquainted with the state of your health, in which you may believe me that I feel no common interest. I heartily wish that you may derive any amusement from what I am now writing; & I hope you will do so, as my friend, Mr Hooker, is employing himself in putting up for you a few of the mosses that he brought with him from Scotland, some of which will in all probability be new to you. He has also examined the Jungermanniae that you were so good as to send us, & you will find his opinion on the other side of this sheet. In this beautiful genus he has already made such a progress that I am in great hopes of seeing him very soon set seriously about preparing for the press, & I am not sorry that he has determined upon publishing the British species before he meddles with the foreign ones. He & I have been this evening meditating a treatise for the Linnean Society upon the genus Andraea, which is very imperfectly indeed understood among Botanists. The male flowers are at present undescribed, & what Hedwig & all other xxxx xxxx [text very faded and difficult to decipher] called the peristomium is undoubtedly the true capsule, & their capsule is only an apophysis. There are also four very distinct species, as you will see by the contents of this letter, tho’ two only have yet been described. Since I had last the pleasure of writing to you, a new volume of the Linnean Transactions has appeared, containing a considerable variety of interesting matter. The things most in my way are 2 papers on mosses, the one [wax over text] Dr Smith, describing his genus Hookera; the other, by Mr Hooker, with descriptions [paper and text missing] of new mosses from the East Indies. Of both these papers & of my own describing 8 new British Lichens I have no doubt of getting you copies, & I shall be very glad to send them to you. My London friends write me word that Botany, as well as literature in general, is in a very flourishing state among them. Nothing however, seems to attract so much expectation as the travels of your countryman, Lord Valentia, which are expected early in the spring. His Lordship showed me last May a sheet of the work, which was written in a very pleasant unaffected style, & some of the plates, which will be beautiful. To tell you of Walter Scott’s Marmion, or to offer to send it to you after it has been thus long published, would, I fear, be idle; probably however, you have not seen a little book that has of late been very much read & admired in this part of the world; Mrs Grant’s letters from the mountains, &, if you have not, I should be very glad to be instrumental in making you acquainted with them. I could send them in a Frank by means of my excellent friend, Captain Mangin, who will forward this, & thro’ whom you might at any time convey any small parcels to me, directing it to him in Mountjoy Square, under cover to Mr Taylor at the Castle. The Government Messenger between England & Ireland may then be made to answer one good purpose at least. When poor Scott was alive your Chancellor of the Exchequer was very useful to us. Our British Zoologists are delighted beyond measure at a recent addition to their Fauna. The great sea snake, described by Pontoppidan & mentioned by some travellers, but not believed by Naturalists at first, has lately been thrown on one of the shores [blank bit] Islands. The monster was about 60 feet long, with a head like a seal, much smaller than its [paper missing] the girth of which was about the size of a small pony’s. The [paper missing] two spiracles, a mane composed of hairs like what fishermen use & call Indian grass, & four paws each about 5 ft long. I must leave off, or I shall not have room to tell you of the Jungermanniae. When you feel yourself sufficiently in health & spirits it will give me great pleasure to hear from you: in the meantime, & ever, I beg you to be assured of the respect & esteem of Dear Madam, your very faithful & obliged Dawson Turner

Yarmouth 6^th December 1808

*No 9 singular variety of Jung spinulosa

11. Marked “Jung dilatata – variety?” Is J complanata.

12. Jung scalaris Roth, the same as J crenulata in English Botany.

14. Marked “Jung multiflora?” Is J biscuspidata I believe Dickson’s multiflora is not at all different.

*15. Marked “seems distinct from No 12” I believe is only a smaller variety of No 12.

*16. Jung minutissima of English Botany growing on Hypnum alopecurum.

One without a No marked “Jung curvifolia” is an undescribed species common in Scotland, but the fructification is unknown at present. Another without any No marked “Jung julacea” is a very singular and beautiful variety of J reptans — I have put asterisks to those species of which Mr Hooker would be glad of more, should you meet with it. - If you would at any time trouble yourself to pick up and save for me any shells you meet with on your coast I shall be much obliged to you, but I have none here to offer in return.