372 CHARLES CARDALE BABINGTON. [1874 



To J. F. DUTHIE, Esq. 



5, Bkookside, Cambridge, Aug. 13, 1874. 

 Dear Duthie, — I did not write, because the only address you 

 gave me was " Woolwich," and I thought it almost certain that a 

 letter so addressed would not reach you. The plants came safely, 

 and I now enclose a P. 0. 0. for the sum mentioned in your 

 letter. I hope that you will write the account of the Maltese 

 plants asked by Trimen for the "Journal of Botany." My 

 residence is the same house, but the name is altered. You must 

 have had a very interesting visit to Braemar, especially as you had 

 never been there before. You would see so many new growing 

 plants. I did not know what you were going to do at Edinburgh, 

 but am glad to find that it is so valuable a job. I wish that I had 

 you or some one like you here to do the same for us. I am so 

 short-handed that I seem to make no progress. I suppose that you 

 are paid for your work at Edinburgh — may I ask at what rate 1 — as 

 it will be a guide to me if I should succeed in getting similar help. 

 Once 1 spent some weeks over part of that same collection, when a 

 great part of it was at the top of the College in the rooms of the 

 Botanical Society. I believe that I gave a great start to the then 

 Curator of the Society. My pay was duplicates, of which I got a 

 very large quantity. Crotch is indeed a sad loss. He never could 

 be got to take any care of himself, and we all thought that he 

 had better have remained here where he was doing valuable work. 

 My wife desires to be most kindly remembered to you. — Very truly 

 yours, Charles C. Babington. 



To the same. 

 120, Marina, St. Leonards-on-Sea, Oct. 8, 1874. 

 Dear Duthie, — I think that the ticket of Carex pulicaris is in 

 the hand of the Rev. Leonard Jenyns (now L. Blomefield), but 

 believe that it did not rightly belong to Carex ericetorum, the 

 specimen of which probably came from me or from John Ball as 

 C. pilulifera. Mildenhall Heath is not at all a likely place for C. 

 ericetm-um. There was very great carelessness in the British 

 Duplicate department, some years since : I could name the men in 

 fault, but will not do so. I should never trust the old tickets in 

 any doubtful case, and should recommend the destruction of the 

 greater part of the old duplicates obtained from the Botanical 

 Society. As far as I can remember, the date of the Carex being 

 first gathered was 1833, but I believe it is stated in the Suppl. 

 "Eng. Bot." 2971. I am glad to hear of the discovery of Carex 

 frigida, and must beg to be remembered if a specimen is to be had. 

 The Salix is of less interest. I hope that Syme or you will take 

 care to publish these facts. I am glad to say that my wife is 

 getting better, although very slowly. The fall was a very serious 

 one. I return the labels. — Believe me to be, very truly yours, 

 Charles C. Babington. 



