From James Scott Bowerbank   26 November 1852

My Dear Sir

You know D ^r Johnston of Bewick on Tweed so well by his Works on Zoophytes, Sponges, Shells, Plants of Bewickshire &c &c & by his being the founder of the Annals. Nat. Hist & the Ray Society that you will not be surprised at my taking a strong interest in the attempt now being made to get him one of the Government pensions to learned men and at my thus writing to you to beg you will favour us with a testimonial to his traits as a Naturalist.

But you may not know that by a Noble generosity to an erring Brother and to two other unfortunate ones he has sacrificed the entire earnings of his professional life & has again to battle the world in his declining years. As an intimate friend I know how all this is & how well he deserves the sympathy of all good men & so I beg of you to lend me the strength of your name to help him to that pension that his long & disinterested labours in Natural History has so well merited. And if you can add those of any other influential Cambridge men it would be an additional obligation

I hope you have been well amidst all this weather.

I have neither heard of nor seen any thing of our lost Friend since your last to me. It is a painful recollection, but I fear there is no hope at the bottom of the box.

I remain | My Dear Sir | yours most truly | J. S. Bowerbank