From John Evans   10 February 1860

Dear Prof. ^r Henslow

I called in the Museum of Pract ^l Geology the other day & brought away the box you so kindly left there for me and now write to thank you for the contents—

You will be sorry to hear that I found the poor Saxon urn in a state of collapse— I have however succeeded in restoring it though hardly in so perfect a manner as you had originally done— The model of the urn with the inscription is exceedingly good— I have not however arrived as yet at the meaning of the inscription— In fact I have hardly as yet had time to examine it, as last night all my spare time was devoted to the rebuilding of the Saxon urn & the night before I had to give a Mech’s Institute Lecture. The stone axe from the Sandwich Islands is very peculiar in the shape of its cutting-edge, but I have one from the Orkneys as nearly as may be of the same shape— A day or two ago I met with a splendid Saxon relic— a circular plate about 3. ⁱⁿ diam. ^r similar to a fibula but apparently intended for attaching to leather— It is of copper strongly gilt ornamented with five bosses of mother of pearl each set with a garnet and with the field all betwisted and beplaited as the Saxons knew how to twist and plait—

[ink sketch of plate]

This will give you some idea of it—It is in perfect preservation & was I believe found in Cambridgeshire. I am going down to the land of Saxon Antiquities tomorrow to spend a day or two at Audley End with Lo. Braybrook and Albert Way— I have never seen his collections—and expect to be much pleased— I had a letter from McGunn the other day who had been at Hoxne and found one of the flint implements in the bank close to the road at a depth of 9 or 10f ^t. I daresay you have heard of or from him—

M. ^rs Evans desires to be kindly remembered as also does Miss Stewart who is getting up the natural system very diligently—

Believe me | yours very sincerely | John Evans.