[in Kew as 18 August 1812, but it has to be 1813, because of the references in it to themes earlier in the year incl baby’s fever, Hooker / Devonshire, fruit of Jungermannia viticulosa and family dispute.]
How very kind it was of you, my dear Madam, to immediately answer my last letter, overlooking the unkindness on my part that could have suffered me so long to remain without having written to you! I trust I may promise that you shall never again have similar on to complain, &, could I but think it possible that I could write letters sufficiently amusing to answer the expense of their carriage, I would most gladly agree to write to you regularly every Monday morning during your present unfortunate illness. What I have just received from you, tho’ it goes me a better account of yourself than your former letters, still leaves sad room for uneasiness, & compels me again & again to urge you to take care of yourself. Your life is so valuable to your friends & to science, that it is an imperative duty upon you to guard it by every means in your power, & you really must not suffer your devotion to your mother tho’ no trait in a human character can possibly be more amiable, to urge you to exertions beyond strength. You give me infinite pleasure, by allowing me at last to hope that I shall see you in Yarmouth. How gladly, how very gladly shall I hail the day that brings you here! & my poor little Ellen shall be taught to call you, with the same lisping simplicity with which she now continually says, “Hooker come.”— she, dear babe, is by far the most delicate child I ever had; & even now I can hardly hope that God will allow me to rear her. The country air, which I had trusted would have been highly beneficial to her, seems to have produced no such effect, & continual ailing has produced a degree of waywardness of temper that is sadly distressing to herself & all about her. The rest of my children, all of whom have been with their mother for the last month in the country, & will continue there a month longer, are remarkably well. The babe has lost his fever. My own life, in the meanwhile, is perfectly that of a vagabond: I am here when I must, & with them when I can; so that between the two I do nothing, & could do nothing, were I as much disposed to activity as I unfortunately am to indolence. & our short Lichenographia has not advanced a single step, & Heaven only knows when it will stir: yet, in despite of reason & experience, I always hope to live to finish it, & look forward with pleasure to a visit from Mr Borrer, which I hope to receive towards the end of this month. So catching is laziness, that even he is infected by this vile malady, which nobody seems able to resist, except Hooker, who lives with me during my solitude & bids defiance to the evil example always before him. You have at last got, I am happy to say, the whole that he has published of the Jungermanniae another No of which will appear next month & I trust it will then go on regularly to its completion. He has for the last week been engaged in making out an analytical table of all the British Genera, upon the plan of that of the Jungermanniae which I sent you, & I think it very likely he will now set in earnest about writing a Flora Britannica in English which is exceedingly wanted. He also goes on steadily drawing magnified figures of our mosses; so that, if his life be spared, we may safely calculate upon his doing a great deal. He received last week a most curious new Neckera from Mr Taylor, quite unlike any other yet known, which we propose calling N. Splachnoides. Its capsule is like that of your Splachna; but its catyptea resembles the most beautiful Hookeria, to which genus, I wish we could contrive to refer it. You need not ask me if Mr Hooker was glad of the fruit of Jung.viticulosa: it was impossible for us not to be delighted with it, & he has made a drawing of it. [paper and text missing] will satisfy you, of it. He cannot recollect what was the plant that you thought a variety of Jung. inflata: but he supposes it must be what he now calls J. byssacca, which Dr Taylor has just sent him in fruit from Kerry. Mr Hooker has brought with him no new Jung from Devonshire; nor much botanical of any sort on account of the season, but abundance of sketches, particularly of the Scilly Isles, some of which I am urging him to etch, & whatever he does of this kind you shall be sure to receive. I send you Jung. heterophylla from him, & shall add, if the frank will cover them, his two plates of Jung. furrata, which I think are the most beautiful & satisfactory of any he has yet given. What an admirable work it is! — Never, my dear Madam, I most earnestly beg of you, give yourself a moment’s pain or expose yourself to the slightest risk by writing to me. When you are well enough oblige me by half a dozen lines, just saying how you are, & this is all I ask or wish. Indeed this would be far more grateful than a longer letter, which I could not but fear would be bought at the expense of your health. You hint, my dear Madam, at family disputes: would to God that I could by any means whatever be of use by my advice or interference in stopping what often causes such infinite misery. Sometimes strangers have some good in matters of this kind, & I am sure there is nothing I would not undertake to alleviate your uneasiness in your present state of suffering. Tell me openly and confidentially if I can possibly be serviceable. Like Clorinda
“Son pronta, imponi pure, ad ogni impresa:
L’alte non temo, e l'umili non sdegno;”
— Even then sad events may make you look with more complacency towards coming for a long stay to our side of the channel at no distant period. May God almighty, my dear Madam, be pleased in his mercy to preserve & bless you. Ever yours D T.
Yarmouth 16 August 181?
Please cite as “EHT105,” in Ɛpsilon: Ellen Hutchins Collection accessed on