‘I hope you will not disapprove’
On This Day, 215 years ago – 13th September 1810 – Dawson Turner wrote to Ellen Hutchins. He expressed concern at not having heard from her. The volumes of Dawson Turner correspondence in the Wren library at Trinity College Cambridge have a letter from Ellen Hutchins to him dated 24th July 1810, so the gap is about seven weeks since he last received a letter.
He told Ellen that he had lent her drawing of a seaweed, Ulva verticillata, to Dr Smith for use in English Botany and he wrote “I hope you will not disapprove”.
Read the full letter of 13th September HERE.
House full of visitors
Dawson Turner wrote about his various visitors including Mr Brown – this was Robert Brown (1773-1858) botanist and paleo botanist, who is also known for his pioneering work with microscopes, the naming of the cell nucleus and observation of Brownian Motion. In 1810 Robert Brown had been back in Britain since 1805 working on botanical specimens he had collected while in Australia for three and a half years.
Mr Hooker’s Tour
This refers to William Jackson Hooker’s account of his tour of Iceland in 1809. He was writing the book for private publication and circulation to friends.
Drawing of the seaweed Ulva verticillata [now named Dudresnaya verticillata]
In a letter a year earlier, on 4th September 1809, Ellen had written “That beautiful species I sent you as Ulva verticillata I have very lately met with again. You shall have specimens although it is rarity & a drawing too when I have time.” The drawing featured above is Ellen’s drawing and is dated August 1809, presumably recording when she found the specimen. There is a note attached to the drawing which reads “Sent as Ulva verticillata. The most gelatinous plant I have ever seen. It is hardly possible to lay it out well for drying.”
The drawing is in the collection of drawings that Ellen made and sent to Dawson Turner and is now held by the Library and Archives of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. In the collection there is another earlier drawing of the same species, dated July 3rd 1809. This one has a note by Ellen “sent as Ulva No 6”.
Ellen’s drawing lent to Dr Smith appeared in Volume 35 of English Botany, plate 2466, with a note of gratitude to Miss Hutchins for providing it.
Read the full letter of 13th September HERE.
The next letter in the correspondence from 1810 is one written by Ellen Hutchins to Dawson Turner on 17th September and there will be a blog post about it here on 17th September 2025.
Madeline Hutchins
Researcher on Ellen and her great-great-grandniece
13th September 2025