WCP3921

[1]

Hurstpierpoint

22^nd Oct[ober] 1869

My dear Spruce,

I sent to the Railway the evening before last a small parcel containing 2 Books also some pamphlets by Lindberg¹ and a few labelled papers which I found amongst some waste paper and which has probably been overlooked. I find I have only one copy of Lindberg's paper on the Trichostomae.²

The enumeration of the S. American mosses was taken on hand by Mr. Bentham³ and, in spite of all, a good many errors and oversights have been left uncorrected, all debatable Latin expressions are referred from Kew to Mr. Berkeley⁴ and he ruled the use of some terms and words, the printing was pushed on as fast as possible by Mr Bentham and I had as much as I could do at one time to keep up with it, for in March I lost my Father⁵, he died in his 93^rd year appearing to suffer pain for some days before, which I think was brought on by his refusal to recline or to lay up his legs, for many weeks previously his legs [2] had become very much swollen and when from increasing weakness he was obliged to recline and his legs returned to their natural size, he appeared to me to get more pain. I sat up with him several nights and at last saw him cease to breathe in his sleep without any sound or motion — perfect euthanasia, he left me sole executor with not much to do, but some annoyance in doing it. Soon after this Seemann⁶ returned from Central America and told me he was urgently in need of an inventory of the Mosses of the Pacific Islands which I had promised to prepare for him before he went out. I had to work hard upon this without delay and got it off my hands fearing I was keeping him waiting and now I find that he has, even now, not completed the ferns. In July being pretty nearly used up, I was persuaded to go into N. Wales with Wallace and Geach⁷ for six days, we went direct from London to Dolgelly [Dolgellau] (there and back for 16^s/-)[.] This was on Saturday next day we did the "precipice walk" passing on the way a lake in which I was constrained to walk bare footted⁸ to pick up the flowers of Lobelia Dortmanna besides which [3] and by Lycopodium alpinum I do not remember seeing anything anyt of interest on this mountain. The so called precipice walk is a walk across the side of a rather steep mountain with many loose stones, but not difficult, the view very pretty from the prospect being over small mountain mosses grouped close together with sufficient heath in bloom to give colour to the verdure, which was better here than we saw elsewhere, for everything was in many parts dried up, there having been no rain for some time; on our way back from the precipice we accomplished the "Torrent walk", a stream interrupted by many large rocks and stones, the whole overshadowed by trees — here were a good many mosses, but I failed to get anything worth mention, I looked for Radula voluta which was gathered somewhere here abouts, but did not see it; a long time might be expended searching these rocks without exhausting all the nooks where it might grow — there is a regularly kept walk which overlooks the torrent, and notices put up that people are not to gather or pull-up the ferns and mosses. The next day we ascended Cader Idris [Cadair Idris] , inspecting on our way the Slate Quarry and taking in our breakfast at the same place, thece we wound up the side of the mountain, the approch⁹ to the summit being troublesome from the abundance of scattered blocks of stone over [4] which it was necessary to step with care not to slip — the top from the masses of pumice stone — coloured stones reminded me directly of some of your photographs[.] All these stones were too dry for mosses — the view did not offer anything very remarkable althoug[h] it was more extensive than we has elsewhere — immediately over the summit there is a small spring, here we eat up our provisions and descended by what is called the "Foxes Path" which is simply going straight down the steep side of the mountain over loose small stones, and a way no fox would choose, on a mass of rocks just under the top was Andreaea alpina, but my companions saw more danger than I did or I should have crept across these rocks, below was abundance and very fine Cryptogramma much resembling great tufts of parsley; in some small pools at the base of Foxes Path was Isoetes and descending on our way back to the Slates I found one Pinguicula bloom the first I had seen in situ. In the evening after our return to Dolgelly, being able to go by train, we went on to Port Madock [Porthmadog] by Barmouth and past Harlech, this railway goes along close to the sea, but I could not dip my hand in it as I wanted, arriving at Port Madock we went another mile to Tremadock [Tremadog] there to dine and tea at once, during its preparation, I rambled out of the Hotel-garden up the side of what seems to be an [5] antient⁹ sea-cliff with a good deal of debris at its base covered with scrubby bushes, here I picked Asplenium lanceolatum, Rubia peregrina, and Geranium sanguineum, the two last for the first time[.] Next morning we walked on to Pont Aberglaslyn, having the before named cliff close to the road on the left hand all the way, and every where capped with trees and overrun with bushes, here was more Asplenium and an Orobanche three plants appearing to be maintained by a Sonchus, by a great stretch Wallace hooked one down with his umbrella — whole plant waxy yellow divisions of corolla acuminate, different from any species known to me, having arrived at Pont Aberglaslyn we proceeded up a narrow valley on the way to Bedgellert [Beddgelert], here having dried and tried to find the stone upon which Hedwigia imberbis ^{ciliata var.} striata is stated to have grown, we resolved in the evening to have a car and go on to some unwritable place the other side of Snowdon, there is but one house — a way side inn, with a few scattered cottages in ruins, here we dined or rather teaed over again and slept, arising early the following morning to go up Snowdon the way most tourists come down, the ascent is steep and troublesome from the loose small stones, on the way we passed more cottages in ruins and a mine shut up nothing [6] doing, but there was one man drearily at work somewhere, very near the top of the precipitous side, up which we came, were a few projecting rocks about which some moisture was collected, here I found Saxifragas and Silene acaulis, Thalictrum alpinum, Geum rivale, and Armeria maritima all in blossom, also Prussia commutata in fruit, but only one patch. Rhodiola was higher up and I saw none in flower; after surmounting the precipice, we crept along on a ridge and surveyed what portions of the prospect the light fleecy clouds would permit, then ascended to the top and having bacon &c cooked on the spot for breakfast, we saw all there was to be seen some 15 Lakes and mountains in all directions, but not the sea, there being too many misty clouds, here we fell in with a guide from Llanberis who told us all the ferns were gone from the precipices under Snowdon, except on one side, the most remote, there was also for sale a small plant of Polystichum lonchitis which I have since much regretted I did not enquire about, that I might be able to say what was the current quotations on the spot, so far as I could make out the great bulk of the tourists buy and take great care of small [7] plants of asplenium trichomanes, or are instructed to take great care of infant Asplenium Lastrea filix-mas, this latter the great Dolgelly guide R[ichard]. Pugh⁹ whose shew¹⁰ bound at Dolgelly announces among other facts that he R[ichard]. P[urgh]. deals in Geological fossils, gave to Davis¹¹ with proper instructions &c but in my garden it has reverted? to L[astrea]. f[ilix]. mas. after satisfying ourselves with the top of Snowdon, we turned to descend towards Bedgellert [Beddgelert], coming down over a precipice out of the way in the hope finding something or other, after leaving the top where I found a few stems of oedipodium in front, we found absolutely nothing all round the great hollow we came round ^down except a fine tuft of Splachnum mnioides growing on a fragment of bone — a portion of a pig's jaw, besides this I got no mosses until we came round the Mountain where in crevices, I found alive for the first time anoectangium compactum and some Hieracium thence down to Bedgellert for the night and in the following morning back to Pont Aberglaslyn b on foot and round to Cwm Bychan, a valley with a rivulet, here I picked Alicularia compressa in great tufts and in out of the way obscured crevices Fissidens polyphyllus [8] here it came on to rain and coming back through a small wood with many exposed blocks of stone, I found plenty of Hedwigia imberbis, and a few scraps of Frullania fragifolia, thence on our way back to Tremadoc being overtaken by the coach, our wanderings may be said to have closed, for the remainder of our time was occupied in getting home. Soon after my return from Wales M^r. Bentham went on the continent having the enumeration all printed except the Index[,] the proofs of which I did not get— I send you one of the very few stems of the Gymnantha Wilsoni which I have from D^r. Taylor¹² himself — the specimen you sent me is Plagiochila spinulosa but there are Gymnanthes closely simulating this Plagiochila in N. Zealand[.]

Accept my thanks for your permission to keep Dnbys [?] Mosses. and for the capsuliferous Jung[^ermanni]a. cordifolia, I do not remember seeing capsules before. I have in the account of the Atlantic Islands described Jung[ermannia]. [one illeg. word crossed out] curvifolia as a new genus Nowellia.¹³ We are all well so are the Wallaces, the boy¹⁴ is here, not having been well, he came down to be put to rights by his grandma.¹⁵

Yours | W. Mitten [signature]