Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
Sept 23 / 59
Profr Balfour
Dr Sir
I enclose a photoglyph from a steelplate of the Dragon tree. <1> The original photograph is a very poor one, and after 2 or 3 trials I have not been able to get anything better than this – I am afraid it will be of no use to you, <2> but of course you are perfectly welcome to the steel plate if it can be of any use –
It is a great pity to try such very small photographs – A view of the dragon tree or anything else in Teneriffe taken of the size of half this sheet of paper, would have a far more striking appearance and also do more justice to the art.
I cannot conclude this letter without asking you if you can give me any news of Professor Kelland <3> – I read with extreme regret an account of a terrible railway accident he met with <4> – Can you inform me if he has recovered sufficiently to be removed to Edinburgh?
Believe me to remain Dr Sir Yours very truly
H. F. Talbot
[on blank side of folded sheet in JHB’s hand] 1859
Fox Talbot
Notes:
1. See Doc. No: 07931. This was published as "Young Dragon trees, near Orotava, Teneriffe" " in the Transactions of the Botanical Society (Edinburgh), March 1859, pl. 6. WHFT later published a "Photoglyphic Engraving of a Fern" in the same journal, v. 7, June 1863, pl. 14, p. 559.
2. Intended for the Transactions of the Edinburgh Botanical Society. See Doc. No: 07828.
3. Prof Philip Kelland (1808–1879), Scottish mathematician.
4. See Doc. No: 07957.