From H. T. De la Beche   10 February 1852

My dear Sir,

Your kind note of many days since would have been sooner answered, had we not been expecting the box with Wire’s pottery, which you mentioned in it. As this box has not yet arrived I write to say so, and also how much gratified we should be to hear an account of the Roman fictile products of Colchester – such as you may deem advisable.

We desire much to see your method of mounting the different specimens – from your description that method would seem excellently well adapted for the purpose of illustration.–

I know not how few you may have in your power– but seeing by the newspapers that more glass beads (Anglo-Saxon, I believe) have been discovered in some quantity near Bury S ^t Edmunds, we are anxious to purchase some for our historical collection of glass – among which glass beads form a most interesting portion – In our own time, we have purchased a magnificent collection of Venetian beads from the Great Exhibition – and it is most interesting to compare this manufacture with the ancient – Egyptian, Grecian, Roman– The very same [illeg.] are still preserved at Venice–

Now we find beads from the barrows in England of various early dates – precisely the same with those found in Italy and Greece– Thus the Bury `beads became objects of interest to us– Do you think you could kindly send us.

Very sincerely yours | H. T. De la Beche