From Dawson Turner to Ellen Hutchins   21 Mar 1809

That I may not appear in your eyes, my dear Madam, more negligent than I really am, I have stolen for 5 minutes form the friends in my study who have for the last 10 days occupied every moment of my time, & who grumble at my taking even this short furlough. I sincerely wish that you could have been of our party, for I am sure you would have enjoyed it, & certain it is that three men never enjoyed anything more fully than Mr Dillwyn, Mr Hooker and I have done the last fortnight, employing ourselves morning noon & night in putting a finishing hand to the synopsis of the British Confervae. Dillwyn has yielded so far to my representations as to give another fasciculus beyond what he intended, & a synoptic table of all the British species, accompanied with magnified sketches of most, if not of all, those not figured in the body of his work. The doing of this will make it something like a complete work, & I still hope it will be published by the end of May. I shall employ the other side of my sheet in telling you the names now given to all your doubtful species, & I hope you will not disapprove of what we have done. A thousand thanks to you for the valuable parcel which I received through Captain Mangin. I have a great deal indeed to say to you about its contents, but I must now confine myself to the Confervae alone. Has my vagabond parcel yet reached you? About 3 weeks ago I had a letter from the man who took charge of it, saying it was free from the Custom House, but still in his possession, & he could not find Mr Mackay in Baggot Street, where it was addressed. This I of course answered, begging it might be sent to him at the Botanic Garden, & I hope he has had it long before this time. Yours came most expeditiously; &, as the same conveyance is open to us, pray use it again as often as you can. It is a long time since I heard from you, but I trust that ill health has not a share in stopping your pen. I would rather attribute it to any other cause. You must excuse my not answering one word of your letter till I next write, which will be soon, as Hooker and Dillwyn leave me in 2 or 3 days. My Historia Fucorum goes terribly backward among these interruptions, at which I should grumble sadly, but were I not certain that my time could not possibly be better employed for science. M Brown, who was employed for many years as a naturalist in exploring the productions of New Holland, has just sent me his magnificent collection of Fuci to publish, but without permission to take a single specimen either for myself or for my friends. How I wish you could see them! Or that I might even take scraps to send you! These Botanical Divites have no compassion on us Lazars. Mr Hooker wishes me to tell you of the Jungermanniae in your last parcel that No 20 is J emarginata - “var. of spinulosa” is right, & differs only in colour from the common appearance of the plant. I must leave the rest of this sheet for the Confervae, & return to my friends who are plaguing me for descriptions of C hutchinsiae & some more of your species. I shall not repeat how much pleasure your letters always give me, but merely add the assurance of the regard & respect of

my dear Madam

your most obliged and very

sincere friend and servant,

Dawson Turner.

Yarmouth 21^st or 23^rd March 1809