22 Queen Street Cheapside.
March 8 1826
Dear Sir
I have this moment (4 O’clock) received your note respecting the Herbarium to be sent by Mr Sieben from Prague. In answer to your inquiries I beg leave to inform you of the particulars respecting which you desire to be more au fait. <1> than Mr Lambert <2> has made you. Those consignments are always made by a house in Prague to a Merchant at Hamburg, who forwards them to Messrs Baring Brothers; the house at Prague at the same time draws for the amount, to be paid to Barings for Sieben; to which Barings add the custom house Duties & other expenses both at Hamburg and London As soon as. The price of the Flora being £20, varying a little with the rate of Each [illegible]; <3> the expenses altogether hardly amount to £3 – As soon as Messrs Barings receive the box, they will let me know; (and as you will not be in town, I will particularly desire them to do so) I shall then give them Directions to send it to Hammersleys <4> – As Sieben can know nothing of your being absent, the Banker at Prague will doubtless draw for the amount, so that the bill will be here before your return; it will therefore be desirable that you should leave directions with your Banker to pay the bill when presented by Barings, otherwise, they ought in fact to pr have it protested for non-payment which will be attended with trouble and needless expenses –
I hope that you will have an agreeable journey to the Ionian islands and that you will return in good health after not too long an absence.
I remain Dear Sir Yours very sincerely
H. E. Lloyd
W. H. F. Talbot Esqr
Athenæum Club
To be delivered immediately
[on verso:]
Returned
Gone way
Not known where
Ar Witt
Try Lansdown House <5>
Notes:
1. Skilful, thorough, master of.
2. Aylmer Bourke Lambert (1761–1842), botanist.
3. Text obscured by ink.
4. Hammersley & Company, bankers, London.
5. Written in another hand. Lansdowne House, London: home of the Marquis of Lansdowne, WHFT's uncle and cousins.