From Ellen Hutchins to Dawson Turner   20 May 1812

May 20

If I were to tell you, my dear Sir, all the causes of my long silence I should send you a sheet full of pains and troubles. As they are almost all relieved I shall try to think no longer of them & set about repairing the losses they have caused me. More than a week ago I sent you a few Mosses under cover to the Bishop of Norwich & hope they have reached your hands. I owe you many thanks for your two last letters and for all you have told me respecting the contents of my parcels. I am truly glad it was interesting to you. It pleased me to think that looking at any of the things might even for a moment relieve your mind from the anxiety you suffered on account of your sister’s melancholy state. I sometimes, indeed often, regret that you have so little time to spend as you like, what I call leisure is having time to spend very busily but in the way one likes, but at this time I did not regret your having too much business. The more you were obliged to attend to, the less you could think on so painful a subject. I can very well conceive how much employed you are, but I can hardly imagine how you find time for all you do. When I feel how a few little trifling matters spoil a day & how very fast days do glide away.

When one has been very ill one’s thoughts naturally turn to the health of one’s friends, & for that of you & yours I now feel particularly interested. How are you? How is Mrs Turner & her girls, & particularly how is my little girl? Answer faithfully all these questions, & never think of making any apology for leaving others unanswered. I am getting quite strong again & began the day before yesterday to take long walks. The weather is now inexpressibly delightful, to breathe the fresh air is the greatest enjoyment. I have just brought in Jung. excisa & I think a young specimen of J. exsecta neither of which I had before. Pray add them & Bryum aureum to the list of our plants. I have Endocarpon laete-virens in the finest state of fructification & a very pretty Lecidea I believe the same as your Lichen parasiticus, a leafy Parmelia that I am not acquainted with & very fine specimens rich with fruit of Parmelia olivacea ?var. “Prolisa. All these you shall have thro’ the Bishop in a few days. I hope my fruit of Dicranum glaucum is to be depended on. If politics were to afford it I should be afraid a stronger instance than the remark you mention could hardly be given of the effect of party spirit. I wish all the world felt as light & free as I did when ranging over the heath where I found it. One advantage in such a remote country as this is that one can ramble about as one pleases. It would want many advantages to compensate all its disadvantages. Where else could one set out alone to ramble among rocks & mountains, or take only a little boy or girl to bring my basket & box.

I am glad Mr Hooker was so pleased with the fruit of J. Calyptrifolia & hope he will feel equally so with that of J. hamatifolia, which I sent you for him. I never walked so much for any one thing. I fear that it is not likely that I shall meet with that of J. curvifolia as it grows in rather distant places where I found but very little of it. I have lately found fine specimens of J. obtusifolia which is very rare. Pray return my thanks to Mr Hooker for the Nos. of his works. How to get them I know not. They are too large I fear to get franked without folding which would greatly injure them. I have written to Mr Mackay to know if he could suggest any safe mode of having them conveyed to Dublin. Perhaps he may make out some way.

What do you think of the Confervae? & what of the large Rivularia, is it a new one? My head is still light so that I cannot draw at all, nor can I with care write a long letter. As soon as possible I shall do some leaves in your book & hope to add many before the summer passes. I shall be glad to keep it for that purpose. During the season I expect to have many Lichens to send you in a short time & should like to know which of those I have sent you would like to get more of. I have now a good deal more of the larger Orthotrichum I sent last just ripe, the capsules of the other are quite green still, surely they cannot both be anomalum.

Mr Drummond, the gardener at Cork, has many mosses that he ought to send you. I pressed him to do so. I am just at this time greatly puzzled by a viola I found yesterday on a mountain. I think it may be lactea but I cannot be sure.

Your ever faithful friend

E.H.

20th May 1812