31 Sackville St ^<1>
8. Dec^r 1816.

My Dear Trevelyan,

I arrived in town on Tuesday – I am very glad to hear that I was the means of procuring you a view of the late Eclipse, & thinking that it may have appeared differently at Oxford to what it did at Castleford, ^<2> I have drawn on the opposite page, a correct delineation of its appearance at the latter place, at the time of the greatest obscuration – Pray inform me whether it corresponds sufficiently with your observations at Oxford. We were favoured at Castleford with a very fine morning, which suited the purpose exactly – Towards the latter end of the Eclipse, the sky was obscured by clouds for about half an hour, which however dispersed, just in time to render the End of the Eclipse visible –

I saw the Total Eclipse of the Moon on June 10^th, & was much pleased with the Sight – I observed it from this house, but the Moon sunk behind a stack of chimnies a little before the Eclipse became total, & I could not recover sight of it, until I went into the Green Park about ½ past 2 in the Morning & perceived it emerging from the other side of the Earth’s shadow –

There was also a partial Eclipse of the Moon, last Wednesday, Dec. 4^th but owing to the unfavourable state of the atmosphere in London, it was not visible –

Last year there happened a Transit of Mercury, which is a rare phænomenon, but I did not hear of it till long after it had happened – Your letter ^<3> dated April 14^th I have, by some unaccountable mistake, but just received – I thank you for the drawing of the fossil tree, & sh^d be glad of any further information on the subject.

[illustration]

Appearance of the Solar Eclipse on Tuesday November 19^th 1816 – at the time of the greatest obscuration, about 20 min. after Nine in the Morning – Seen at Castleford N. Lat. [illustration]

I saw Brucea antidysenterica at Paris – The French Botanists call it B. ferruginea – It was in bud, the flowers not quite expanded – I like your seal ετι θνητοσ ουκ, but what is the device? Turritis hirsuta is not uncommon – I found it in the lawns at Malmaison – & it grown frequently in Glamorganshire, as well as in the neighbourhood of Castleford – I thank you for Jungermannia bidentata, I had not seen it in fruit before –

W. C. Trevelyan Esq
University Coll.
Oxford

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Notes:

1. 31 Sackville Street, London residence of the Feildings, often used as a London base by WHFT.

2. Castleford, Yorkshire, 10 mi SE of Leeds, where WHFT went to school from 1815-1816.

3. Letter not located.