268 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



TO WILLIAM J. HOOKER. 



LONDON, September 13. 



MY DEAR FRIEND, - - The " penny postage system " 

 not being yet in operation, I embrace an opportunity 

 that offers to send you a line in Pamphlin's par- 

 cels. I am again in London, you see ; indeed I have 

 been here about a week. But it is only to-day that I 

 have had intelligence of your return to Scotland. I 

 had some hopes that I should find you in London on 

 my arrival, or that you would return here from 

 Chatham, and that I should have the gratification of 

 seeing you once more. I received your welcome letter 

 of August 14th, at Berlin, for which I thank you much. 

 I wish my friends at home were half as prompt cor- 

 respondents. While on the Continent I have received 

 precious few letters. 



I have been much interested at Berlin, and worked 

 hard. The herbarium of Willdenow is larger and in 

 better condition than I supposed, and the gen- 

 eral herbarium is very interesting and rich. Klotzsch l 

 is very industrious, and has got the whole collection in 

 much better order than most of the herbaria on the 

 Continent. I am under great obligations to Dr. 

 Klotzsch, who not only afforded me every facility at 

 the Herbarium, but most cheerfully aided me in every 

 possible way, and during a transient illness (for I 

 was confined to my room for a week or so, and to my 

 bed for a few days) he procured for me the best med- 

 ical advice, and took a great deal of trouble on my 

 account. 



I lost some time by this, but fortunately I had nearly 

 finished my work at the Herbarium, and afterwards 



1 Dr. J. H. Klotzsch, 1805-1860 ; keeper of the Royal Herbarium 

 at Berlin. 



