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Document number: 6425
Date: 30 May 1851
Dating: 1851?
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: STRANGWAYS William Thomas Horner Fox
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Last updated: 21st February 2012

Burlington Hotel
30 May

My dear Henry

I have get some seeds from Portugal which seem to be of interesting & perhaps pretty species – I wanted to send them to you but do not know where to find you as I believe you are not at Barrow House <1> – tho’ I hear you are in the Lakes some where – not deep I hope.

Can I send them with prospect of due attention being paid to them, to your Gardner at Lacock? The season is in their favour.

I am here for some time I hope to see Dr Asa Gray <2> & Dr Hooker fil. <3> the greatest Lions of Botany at present.

Abbotsbury <4> was in great beauty you would have seen many interesting flowers – the shrubs &c look better late in the year when perhaps you may come.

I had 6 or 7 vars – of Nar. Poeticum in blow – & I should like to know which you had found wild. 2 – of them dble<.> I thinned half my saffron crocuses & had then more than I could well lift of their bulbs. I wish saffron bore a renumerating price. The myriads of figs this year are not to be counted my palms all lived thro & are shooting their green leaves again as well as some tender ferns. I find the southern shrubby compositæ make excellent ever greens, as well as 2 or 3 Coprosmas.

My greatest novelty was a new Arbutus – mollis. wh flowered most abundantly. I am to exhibit some great Mesembs: the 7. June – more than 150 flowers were out or promising the other day – besides the great yellow. The Eucalyptus is now 2 ft 9in round 1 ft ½ – above the ground, & near 20 ft high.

Do you know Hookers Flora Antarctica <5> – what interesting plants from the Auckland Isles I hope we shall get them.

Emma <6> & Charry <7> are here, good accounts of Jane <8> –

Yrs
W H F S

Notes:

1. Near Keswick. See Doc. No: 06330 and Doc. No: 06336.

2. Asa Gray (1810–1888), American botanist.

3. [later, Sir] Joseph Dalton Hooker (1817–1911), botanist, son [ filius] of William Jackson Hooker.

4. Abbotsbury, Dorset: home of William Thomas Horner Fox Strangways.

5. Joseph Dalton Hooker, The botany of the Antarctic voyage… in the years 1839–1843 …, London, Reeve Brothers, 1844–1860.

6. Emma Thomasina Llewelyn, née Talbot (1806–1881), photographer; WHFT’s Welsh cousin.

7. Charlotte Louisa 'Charry' Traherne, née Talbot (1800–1880), WHFT’s cousin.

8. Jane Harriot Nicholl, née Talbot (1796–1874).