From Dawson Turner to Ellen Hutchins   12 Jul 1810

Yarmouth 12th July 1810

I feel, my dear Madam, most sincerely for the painful situation in which you are at present placed on account of Mrs Hutchins' health, & should be most sorry to do anything that might tend in the slightest degree to withdraw you from those attentions that she requires & that your filial affection induces you to bestow upon her. Do not therefore think for a moment that I write for the purpose of recalling you to your favorite pursuit: & I am very far from having such a wish or such an intention; but I have often found by experience that the remembrance of distant friends is most pleasing in the hour of distress, when of all wretched ideas that of being insulated is the most wretched, & therefore, thơ' I can scarcely flatter myself with the hope that you will admit me into the number of your friends, yet, as I feel for you a degree of esteem & regard more than I either care to express or am able to do, I trust that a letter from me occasionally may not be unwelcome to you, &, if it is not, I shall continue troubling you from time to time with one. My expectations of seeing Ireland this summer are at an end. Here I am, & here I am likely to be, I fear to the end of the chapter. And yet I hope not, for it is only the prospect of being one day released from the life of drudgery & anxiety I now lead, that makes me support it with patience & even with pleasure. Instead of leaving home, my house is likely to be full of company, among whom the only botanical visitors I expect are Mr & Mrs Borrer & Mr Brown, except indeed Mr Hooker who lives so near me that he is continually with me. From Mr Borrer I have just had a letter dated from the heart of Scotland, where he & his bride are enjoying themselves prodigiously; she from never having seen a hill in her life before, & he from a reflection of the pleasure she experiences, added to the satisfaction of informing her mind, & imprinting scenes more strongly upon his own. I wish I may one day have an opportunity of introducing him to you. I am sure you will like him: he is so thoroughly good a man, &, what is extraordinary, his goodness is added to such strong abilities & to such cultivation of mind. An education early neglected & a natural love for retirement have brought upon him a shyness that makes him awkward, & prevents his being duly appreciated except by those who know him. Mr Brown is going to Dublin almost immediately, & will remain there 2 or 3 weeks, after which, on his return to Town, he will pass some time with me. Should you have an opportunity of sending me any parcel by him, Mr Mackay will know where to find him; but, pray, give yourself no trouble on the account; for I would rather receive nothing from you till your mind is again completely at rest, & we shall not again have a difficulty in conveying our packages to & from each other; as anything too large for Capt Mangin's frank may be sent, either to Mr John Chapman, at Mess Warren Chapman & Co's, No 36 Anglesea Street, Dublin, or to Elliott's parcel office, Abbey Street, Dublin. I understand I may very soon expect from Sir Thomas Gage a large box of Killarney Lichens; but I have no great expectations from the Baronet, & at all events nothing he sends will at all subtract from the pleasure that what you may have collected will afford me.

The only one Botanical novelty I have heard of late has been the discovery of E filicinus [Grateloupia filicina] on the Coast of Cornwall: it was found by Mr Rashleigh, who sent me three specimens, the best of which I will inclose in this letter. It comes very near some varieties of F. corneus [Gelidium spp.]. I had overlooked, or rather forgotten, what you told me about Capt Mangin's leaving Dublin, & consequently being unable at present to forward anything to or from us. Mackay would have no difficulty in getting General Vallancey, to whom I am known, to send small parcels cf drawings, should you have the means of forwarding them to him at Dublin. The Lady of the Lake is already out of print, & I fear you have not got it. I wish I could contrive to have my copy conveyed to you. This I will assuredly do thrơ Mr Chapman, should my fears of your inability to procure it prove well founded.

¿Did I tell you in my last letter that Mr Hooker is going to Ceylon? - His restless mind will not suffer him to be at peace, tho' he is surrounded at home by all the comforts that affluence, refined society, & the attachment of his friends can afford.

He goes out under the protection of Sir Joseph Banks to explore the Natural History of the Island, intending to stay there two years, & then, if possible, to cross into Persia, or into South America. His strong health, temperance, & compliant disposition make him well qualified for the task, but I nevertheless wish heartily he could remain at home, much as I may expect from him, if he returns home in safety.

When you have an hour from your more important employments to bestow on one so distant I shall be truly happy to hear from you, & I shall be much obliged to you to mention the state of Mrs Hutchins' health, about which on your account I cannot but feel great interest. Mrs Turner joins in best respects & every kind wish to you with

my dear Madam Your ever ff

[Dawson Turner]

Perhaps it will be safest to send all your parcels by Elliot's office — they will come secure & expense is no object to me. Only direct them to be forwarded from London by the Yarmouth Mail from the White Horse Fetter Lane — send double or 3ble letters without hesitation by post, never stop a day for a frank.