Individuals with treasures, far from town
210 years ago, ‘On This Day’, 24th July 1814, Dawson Turner wrote to Ellen. (Read the whole of the letter HERE. ) He was anxious not to have heard from her since March and he said that his correspondence with her had for many years given him “one of the sweetest & purest sources of pleasure”. There had been a gap in the correspondence, with Dawson Turner’s last letter to Ellen being three months before.
In that letter, written on 26th April, Dawson Turner had remarked “what a number of people are crowding to Paris” but had said that he would rather wait a year. However, now we discover that he, his wife and two eldest daughters had been there for two months.
He wrote that he had not managed to give as much time there to Natural History as he had wanted but had met with a number of French botanists. He was surprised to find that in France, everything in the arts and science was concentrated in Paris and was public, in contrast with Britain.
“They do not seem able to comprehend how it is with us, that both in arts & science individuals possess such treasures & many of these who have cultivated them with most success reside far from London. I needed only to instance you, & indeed I very often thought of you while there & wished I could have had you with me.”
Of the plants, Dawson Turner commented that “many of our rarest are there among the most common, as Salvia pratensis”. The image illustrating this blog post is Salvia pratensis, Meadow Clary, drawn by James Sowerby in English Botany (1794). Ellen had seen some numbers of English Botany, and it described plants that she found. A couple of her specimens were passed to James Sowerby for him to draw for use in it. For instance, in a letter of 13th September 1810, Dawson Turner wrote “Dr Smith asked me for your new Anictangium (a moss) to figure in English Botany & I gave it to him, & at the same time lent him your drawings of Ulva verticillata (a seaweed) for the same purpose which I hope you will not disapprove.” Dr Smith was based in Norwich, relatively close to Dawson Turner in Great Yarmouth and was visiting Turner at the time.
July 1814 was just months after Napoleon had abdicated and there is an interesting piece about him in the letter, ending with Dawson Turner describing him as “the greatest man the world ever knew & yet he was a dreadful tyrant & a scourge to his generations”.
Read the whole of the 24th July 1814 letter HERE.
The next letter in the 1814 correspondence is Ellen to Dawson Turner on 4th August and it will be posted here on 4th August 2024.
1814 in letters so far:
3rd January: Dawson Turner to Ellen Hutchins HERE.
18th January: Ellen Hutchins to Dawson Turner HERE.
12th February: Dawson Turner to Ellen Hutchins HERE.
26th April: Dawson Turner to Ellen Hutchins HERE.
And going back further:
1813 letters HERE.
1812 letters HERE.