TALBOT1564

Dear Henry

I enclose you a bit of my umbrosum ¹ I am not certain whence I had the seeds a great many plants came up all alike we have several herbaceous geraniums as ibericum – collinum – pratense – palustre – phæum striatum – sanguineum – lancastriense – argentium nodosum – lucidum – Londesii – one I believe to be macrorrhizon – an early nameless white one now out of blow – a pale pink with reflex petals something like phæum – but I cannot make out sylvaticum to my satisfaction – we have Erodiums Gussoni & hymenodes & romanum & at Abbotsbury ² a blue one I take to be gruinum – & another nameless from Florence. So this tribe flourishes pretty well in our gardens.

I do not know what your 3^d sort of symphytum can be – There is one with a brighter red flower I believe only a variety of the common which abounds in Germany – orientale & asperrimum are the handsomest. Melampyrums like other pediculares will not be cultivated – M. nemorosum is in no botanical list I ever saw – & at Kew the 4 english ones if they exist there are brought in fresh every year. I have more than once sown fresh seed of nemorosum from Petersburg without success. I recommend all tall Campanulas – Convallarias of sorts – all stout tuberous & bulbous plants unluckily the orchises are [wood?] plants & would be the best worth having. Anchusa Italica from Pratolino – Dianthus Carthusianorum from Careggi – & 3 or 4 Linums blue & yellow embellish the garden – L. tauricum is very handsome – L. tenuifolium I regret is not one of them –

Pray tell me how the Horticulturalists breakfasted – was the food all vegetable? The Zoological & they might supply each other on equal terms – I hope H^t Frampton ³ went – You do not mention the C^ss– Grimaldi ⁴ 28 Essex St have you seen her & is it in y^r power to help her to the accomplishment of her two objects?

Y^r Aff^e
W F S

I hear from the Foreign Office there is an official report of John ⁵’s unfortunate adventure (substantially the same as that in the French papers) just received – but we have no letters.

H. Talbot Esq^r
31. Sackville S^{t 6}
London
1827 Dorchester June twenty five, Ilchester ⁷

[enclosed] pressed specimen of Geranium umbrosum