From Dawson Turner to Ellen Hutchins   7 Jan 1809

My dear Madam

The letter that I had the pleasure of receiving from you in the middle of last month crossed one of mine upon the road, which I sent off on 5th December under cover to my friend, Captain Mangin, availing myself of that opportunity to convey to you a few of our scarce mosses. I have since been so fortunate as to meet with a person of this neighbourhood who was going in a few weeks to Dublin & I put up, though in some haste, a parcel of some of our scarcest English plants, which he promised to deliver to Mr Mackay. I shall be very much gratified to hear of it reaching you in safety, for, though it is not what I wished it to be, yet I am convinced it contains a few things that will be acceptable to you. You will find in it all the British Fuci that you mentioned to me you are wanting excepting F selaginoides, which is little, if anything, more than F tamariscifolius in a dwarf state & without vesicles. I took the liberty of adding to the parcel a copy of my paper in the last volume of the Linnean Transactions, but unaccompanied, I am sorry to say, by the plates, which I have not yet received; & with it Mrs Grant's Letters from the Mountains, which, if you have previously got them, I beg you to give to any friend of yours, & the Translation of Sprengel’s Introduction to Cryptogamic Botany, which, being new, I trust you have not seen. You will find in it a good deal of information, but I cannot accede to all his ideas upon the genera of mosses. I ought to apologise to you for having sent you the copies of these books that were on my own shelves, but really I cannot help it, for I had no time to get others, & the opportunity of conveying to you a parcel was too golden a one to be lost. In talking thus much about my own parcel I have almost forgotten to thank you for yours which is of much greater value. It has reached me quite safe; & has delighted me in the extreme. I cannot tell you how gratified I am with every new proof of your zeal for our favourite science & of your kindness to me. I am also extremely gratified with your account of your own health. I was so anxious to read of this that I tore open your letter in haste disregarding (or rather not seeing) the caution on the outside, & I have irreparably lost the small Zoophyte it contained. The moss is safe, & I will examine it & give my opinion (such as it is) of it on the other side, where I will also tell you all I can of the doubtful contents of your parcel. To have myself room for this I am sorry to say I must now conclude; which I do, wishing most sincerely that the year 1809 & many succeeding years may be productive to you of health & happiness, as far as happiness is compatible with such imperfect beings as we all are. I remain ever dear Madam your very much obliged Dawson Turner Yarmouth 7th January 1809

I begin with the marine plants of your parcel received last spring which I am ashamed to find I have yet noticed, I hope you have not forgotten the numbers.

Variation of F pygmaeus ? — This is a plant that has long puzzled me, but I incline to think it is only what you suppose it. Acharius has described it as a lichen, under the name of Stereocaulon affine.

*C atrovirens ? — not so, but nearer to Dillwyn’s C fontinalis, from which it seems principally to differ in being branched.

Ulva No 2 & 3 these are very extraordinary plants. – I cannot satisfy myself if they are distinct, and if one or both of them or neither are the same as Vaucher has published as Ulva foetida. —

No 7 — Ulva plantaginea of Roth.

*8 — Conferva atropurpurea of Roth

*9 new to me

Conferva No *24 — new species

*25 — Conferva riparia of Roth

*26 — This has the appearance of being a beautiful and extraordinary species; but it is so difficult to get it off the paper & it recovers so imperfectly, that, till you can ?supply me with specimens on glass, & a magnified sketch or description of its recent appearance, nothing can be said of it.

27. This is in much the same state as the last — may it not be C genuflexa?

28. I think this must be a variety of C sordida.

29. C Turnerii, young — I doubt it is the same as C plumosa & that I must give it up.

*30. This beautiful parasite is new to me, but I must trouble you by & by for a sketch of it – it recovers badly.

*31 - One of the most beautiful things I ever saw; &, as far as I know, quite new.

I have put asterisks to those of which I am unreasonable enough to wish for more at some future time. —

I wish if you do not feel any objection, that you would favour me with a complete catalogue of the plants of all kinds that you have found in your neighbourhood, annexing the particular habitats to such as are at all uncommon. It would be a valuable accession to our local knowledge of British plants & the Linnean Society would be very thankful for it. If I sent it to them I would by your leave to add some remarks upon & descriptions of your new Confervae — May I beg, at your leisure, you would gather me a few more larger specimens of F articulatus? One of your plants is engraved for my Historia Fucorum.

I find with regret that what I have to say upon your last parcel but one has completely filled my time before the post & my paper. I therefore reserve the whole I have still to say upon the last parcel till my next, which, if nothing interrupts me, I will send off by tomorrow’s post, & then, I fear you will be rather tired of me & be glad I have done writing. If the letter sent you through Captain Mangin has not reached you pray let me know.