To Leonard Jenyns   8 April 1823

My dear Leonard,

I shall prepare the parcel for Mr. Jermyn this evening and take my chance of seeing him tomorrow. The supplement to Mont. is out therefore I can only send the dictionary itself. I was so very idle on Monday that I could do nothing but draw the little Sphaerium magnified. It had produced abundance of young which I also drew magnified. It can walk like the Planorbes upon the underpart of the surface of the water. I never saw a Bivalve do so before. Calvert and I intend to visit Mr. Brocklebank early on Thursday and then continue our ride to Swaffham as he wishes to call upon Mr. Jermyn. I dare say that I shall find time to call at Bottisham before one in my way back therefore prepare a magnificent suite of all the desiderata. I have written a long, very long, letter to Mr. Lyons, ordered the Birds from Leadbeatter, struck out all the foreign shells, not looked into my divinity etc etc.

Execute the following commissions for me.

Tell Mrs. Jenyns –

That I saw a carriage yesterday, (Monday) turn out of Bridge street into Jesus lane.

That I have examined the 3 Ton lid of the Sarcophagus which is decidedly good and (which she will be delighted to hear) that it contains very large crystals of felspar.

Tell Miss J. that I can learn nothing concerning Mons. Alexandré.

Tell Miss Harriet that Schiller's works are in 12 volumes and that I have sent 3, but that if this is not enough I will forward an additional supply – and also say – that Miss Benger's Queen of Scots is ordered but has not yet arrived.

Believe me | yours ever sincerely | J.S. Henslow

I have sent a few dupes and yr. container. I have just been looking at the small Sphaerium wh. I got 2 yrs. ago, for the sake of completing my series and to my surprize I find it perfectly distinct from that wh. we got at Swaffham. It is much better and more like the young of corneum [Drawing]