Dear sir!
Persuaded of Your friendly dispositions towards myself, I take the liberty of directing to you a particular demand, in which agreeing You shall highly oblige myself. Allow-me to state the matter.
The council of the Linnean Society has cheerfully agreed in exchanging the Transactions of the Soc. against a plain copy of my Palmae. <1> Now the edition having been very smal, it causes great difficulties to me to procure the first four or five numbers of the plain edition, and I would be happy if I could receive them from some former subscriber, who discontinuated the work. I direct therefore to your Kindness & I shall be very thankful if You would transmit Your copy to Mr. Bennett, <2> Secr. of the Lin. Soc., indicating what numbers, – which I shall then immeadetly [sic] pay for, sending the amount to Your orders. As You have directed from Botany to other pursuits, I hope You shall friendly agree with this proposition, which spares me many troubles, and I trust, that You may not be displeased with this my demand.
I know, that You are continuating with great success Your photography, and as this fine art s has many friends amongst us, I should be [illegible] very happy if You would once give me some account of Your advancement and some proofs.<3> Prof. Kobell <4> goes on with his Galvanographie very well, and large plates have been executed.
Believe me, Dear Sir, with high consideration and esteem Yours truly, most devoted and obliged
Servant
D Martius
Munich 7 Febr. 1847.
To Henry Fox Talbot Esq.
31. Sackville Street
Piccadilly
London
Notes:
1. Oscar Drude and Martius, Palmae (Lipisiae: K.W. Hiersemann, 1881–1882).
2. John Joseph Bennett (1801-1876).
3.Some examples that WHFT sent to Martius are preserved in the Munich Academy of Sciences; a number of them are reproduced in Ulrich Pohlmann, Alöis Locherer, Photografien 1845-1855 (Munich: Schermer/Mosel, 1998).
4. Franz von Kobell (1803–1882). [See Doc. No: 03907].