TALBOT154

My dear Henry

This letter came from Derbys. ¹ & therefore I thought you were coming to town but they know nothing of you in S. St. ²

I have had a letter from M^r M^cNeill, ³ advising me of fircones &c from the M^ts of Bayazid in Armenia where he also saw a variety of Oriental Plane in the most alpine situations near the snow in August. It may be a new species. I am also expecting seeds & plants from Sierra Leone & Teneriffe

Have you read Coneybeare’s [sic] Lectures? ⁴ what do you think of the doctrine of probabilities applied to the Indian & Semitic languages? it is at least new.

The Crocus Fitzsimon ⁵ [sic] sent you proves not to be secotinus but the same as one from Naples speciosus⁶ which has flowered at Chelsea – Harriet ^<7> is getting me some true nudiflorus⁷ from Nottingham, I advise you to do the same.

Did you ever hear of the West Indian hornets that fly about with fungi growing in them till the vegetable has exhausted all their strength when they die.

I hope you are coming to Dorsetshire too this autumn – since you did not come in the spring – is Caroline ⁸ to be at M^t Edgcumbe ⁹ this winter? I have got a new Chinese Jessamine from M^r Anderson ¹⁰ which I expect to turn out very fine.

Pray take care of Arum ternuifolium for me & any &cs you can add to it. How did your plants fare that I saw nursing in the hothouse at Bowood. ¹¹

You were to tell me something more of the Euphorbias &c you raised from my seeds – You are to have some too from Ab– ¹²

I have got some parcels here for M^lle Amelina ¹³ pray tell me what to do with them

Y^r Aff
W F S