From William Ellis   15 January 1859

Hoddesdon Herts

15 January 1859

Dear Sir

Absence from home has prevented my forwarding an earlier reply to your favour of the 12 th Inst. I hope the contents of my book will prove interesting to you & I thank you very cordially for kindly offering me the perusal of remarks of your late Brother on Madagascar. It is too late for me to make any use of them in the account of my “visits” but as I have undertaken to give a couple of Lectures on Madagascar early in March at the Institution of the United Service Club, the observations of a Naval Officer might suggest and assist me in topics of remark that might be interesting to my audience in the occasion. I have long been familiar with you by reputation Sir W. Hooker has more than once adverted to your name when I have been with him in the Museum at Kew & I should be happy to make your acquaintance personally if I had an opportunity of so doing here if not I should feel obliged by the loan of the paper of your late Brother some time during the ensuing month[.] I think I either possess or have access to most of the articles you mention The musical instrument is the Valiha it has a soft & not unpleasing sound when thumbed by a native I think I mention it in the account of one of my early visits to the “Harbour Master” on my second Voyage to Madagascar but as I really have not a copy of the book in the house just now I cannot be certain[.] I described & figured it in my history of Mad r published in 1838.

I am Dear Sir |very faithfully yours | W Ellis

Please cite as “HENSLOW-518,” in Ɛpsilon: The Correspondence of John Stevens Henslow accessed on 28 March 2024, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/henslow/letters/letters_518