TALBOT264

Queen’s hotel Cork St
7 March

My dear Henry

I do not know where you are but that does not matter I have called repeatedly on Robert Brown in Soho Sq. so never finding him I sought him in his den in the Museum¹ where I did find him & he showed a lot of curious things in physiology – pray go & see him there – he said he had not seen you a long time. He seems a good deal broken & talked in a low way about himself but still eager about science.

I am going to Abbotsbury ² on Thursday next – now we have a railroad to Dorchester & Weymouth³ you might pay me a visit & see the garden at a gay time – for it is preeminently bulb month in our climate & you can judge now of what has really stood the winter & what not.

Thinking I might see you here I brought an early work of Hammers ⁴ in English “Ancient Alphabets &^c explained” which you may not know – it runs chiefly on Hieroglyphics.

I took to the Museum a curious little square terracotta die or perhaps weight for drugs or light substances found at Palmyra ⁵, it has two little reclining figures with tall caps – the same on each side – & obscure remains of characters – there are some in the museum where they suppose they must have been ornaments & perhaps coloured or gilt – There was also a semicircular one with a bust & sun & moon – obverse & reverse not the same. The people in the Museum call them Sassanian ⁶.

Now it is very singular that Roman small weights (of metal) are found of a type analogous at least of two small figures in a square – I saw some in the Museum – & one was found at Abbotsbury some years ago – the date of which could not be much later than that of the Palmyrene.

I believe Jane ⁷ is going to Torquay – I may perhaps run down & pay her a visit there – & see Veitch’s garden ⁸ by the way –

I hope Bath did a great deal of good to everybody – & that it has set M^lle Amelina ⁹ up – Have you looked through Emily’s ¹⁰ dried plants? I have got at last two more numbers of Torrey & Grey’s ¹¹ Flora of N. America containing the Compositæ & little else – about 120 sp of Aster!

They are newly arranging the whole Palm house & Museum at Kew –

Y^r aff
W F S

There is a good photographical Exhibition¹²