TALBOT755

Normanton, ¹

3^d March, 1817.

My Dear Trevelyan,

I have to thank you for Two letters – I found the various extracts contained in them very amusing, nor had I seen any of them before – I suppose the phosphorescent appearance of Dicranum taxifolium must have been an optical deception – I don’t take in Thomson’s Annal’s ² <sic> now, and yet I am sorry I don’t – I think the fall in the Thermometer during the Eclipse was less than might have been expected, but had the Eclipse taken place in the middle of Summer, & during the Heat of the Day, no doubt it would have caused a more notable fall – Bye the bye I have been amusing myself lately with calculating Eclipses, & I find among others, that there will be undoubtedly an Annular Eclipse of the Sun, on the sixth of September 1820. in the morning – In England it will not be annular, but in most parts of Italy it will, & I hope to see it, as I may perhaps be in Italy then. The Eclipse will be Annular for four Minutes exactly. I doubt whether it will cause sufficient darkness to render any of the Stars visible, unless perhaps the Planet Venus – I shall not be in Town at Easter, nor for some Months – Tell me where your direction is in Town, and direct to me

Normanton

Stamford

for I find that is my Post Town.

I know a little of Pursh’s Flora Americæ, And think it a very nice work – Your Lichen pustulatus was covered with little bushy excrescences, which are a genuine sign of a Gyrophora – The representations of the true fructification seem very odd; twisted like the head of a large pin, whence I presume the name – Do you recollect the Calicium we found at Harrow? ³ It is Sphærocephalum, not chrysocephalum as we thought. Did you ever find Lichen saxatilis in fruit – I have it very good – M^r Hooker ⁴ sent me the other day several plates of his new work; they are beyond anything pretty Did I tell you about the new Blowpipe I saw in London? I should be much obliged to you for an impression of your engraving – and also if you will procure for me at Oxford, “ Robertson’s Treatise ⁵ on such mathematical instruments as are usually put into a portable case” – the author of which I suppose is your Professor of Savilian Geometry and enquire for me at any mathematical instrument maker’s or optician’s the price of a good Sector. I suppose the Problem of finding remains of Tropical plants in England, may be solved by supposing (with Whiston ⁶) that the Deluge was caused by the Earth’s being involved in the Tail of the great Comet which appeared again in 1680 – & whose periodical time is accurately known to be 575 years – If therefore we subtract 575 from 1680 we find it appeared in 1105 – before that in 530 – 45 A.C. when Julius Cæsar ⁷ was killed – where the Poëts make much mention of it, 620 A.C. – 1195 A.C. – 1770 A.C. And 2345 A.C. – – which is the received time of the Deluge – It might at the same time have materially changed the direction of the Earth’s Axis, & made what were the Tropics then – the Temperate Zones now

I remain,
Y^r Aff^te Friend

W. H. F. Talbot

Near Fowey & elsewhere: a single white flower	Silene maritima, Common enough.
The Lands End, – a white panicled flower,	Samolus Valerandi, Common enough,
From Trevelyan – a large yellow Flower,	Bartsia viscosa, Rare, 4 counties only, – mentioned in several places, in Devonshire & Cornwall.
Common near Sea Coast, a white flower	Arenaria verna, I think: Mr Dillwyn did not know it: – verna is an absurd name, for an <Au>tumnal plant. – Rare, 10 counties, not mentioned in Cornwall or Devonshire.
Goonhilly Downs,	Erica vagans, 4 counties.
Moss on Brendon Hill, an elegant blue flower.	Campanula hederacea, Rare. 12 counties, – Plentiful in Devonshire & Cornwall
near Pensance <sic> . – near Tintagel	Mentha rotundifolia, Rare, 17 counties. – mentioned in Cornwall.
near the Lands End, a little plant, with white whirled <sic> blossoms,	Illecebrum verticillatum, very rare, – only Devonshire & Cornwall.

W. C. Trevelyan Esq^r
University Coll.
Oxford