TALBOT8604

Melbury ¹Dorchester
27 Sept^r

My dear Henry

I suppose you are now enjoying the fine autumn there is said to be in Scotland while we are in fogs & rain without ceasing.

If you visit occasionally the Botanic Garden can you learn for me if they have a rare plant called Nyctanthes Arbor tristis which I have long desiderated – wishing to collect all the tristes ² I can.

What do you think of the new idea that the world is not an oblate spheroid? but an elongated one? in other words, a Malta orange instead of a S. Michaels.

And is one to believe that the Sun is a bundle of polarized semi metals?

What a shameful trick the Russian Gov^t have played Zamoyski’s brother ³ – it shows it is hopeless to expect any thing from such ruffians –

I hope soon to go to Abb^{y 4} where I will give you some account of the vegetable worlds there. Here I am trying to get up all the Oaks of North America. Some do very well.

If Caroline ⁵ is with you give her & Ernestine ⁶ my love & condolences over poor Garibaldi. ⁷

I hope you are all well at Millburn ⁸ – when do you come South again?

Y^r aff^e
W^m

[envelope:]
Henry F. Talbot Esq^r
Millburn Tower
Edinburgh