130 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



Arnott seems to think much more of Xees von 

 Esenbeck than anybody else. It is generally thought 

 he is in his dotage, and a sad, very sad splitter of 

 straws. . . . 



I had some thoughts of going to Paris via Leyden, 

 to see if I can coax anything out of Blume, but he 

 seems to have behaved rather strangely to all the 

 English botanists I have yet met with. You ask 

 whom I liked best in Scotland : Hooker is all in all ! 



A new Antarctic expedition is planned ; indeed is 

 settled upon nearly, to be commanded by James Ross. 

 But a part of the administration throw difficulties in 

 the way. If it goes Joseph Hooker is to be the nat- 

 uralist. ... By the way, Corda's " Memoir on Im- 

 pregnation of Plants " turns out to be mere humbug, 

 and it seems there is little dependence to be placed 

 upon him. . . . 



Tell Bailey I am every day getting information 

 that will be valuable to him, in the microscopical way. 

 I have a new correspondent for him, Mr. Edwin J. 

 Quekett, 1 50 Wellclose Square, London, an excellent 

 microscopist. I will write soon what he wants, and 

 he will send through me some microscopical objects. 



P. S. I have just had the offer of a chance to 

 examine Walter's herbarium as much as I like ! - - to 

 take it into my possession for a week if I like ! and 

 that after I had nearly given up all hopes of it. 



February 5, eleven o'clock, evening. ... I think 

 I mentioned in those letters how yesterday w.as spent, 

 viz., that I rose early, took stagecoach for Turnham 

 Green, near Chiswick, where Lindley resides, break- 

 fasted and spent the day. Lindley was certainly very 



1 Edwin J. Quekett, 1808-1847. Wrote much on the microscopic 

 structure of plants and animals. 



