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midst of my zoological and botanical lectures, which 

 I am obliged to compose every day before I deliver 

 them. I have a private pupil besides, who comes 

 to my house, (Lady Hume,) and I am printing my 

 second fasciculus of Icones ineditce ; writing the 

 letter- press for Icones pictce (of which, by the by, 

 Lady Rockingham means to beg your acceptance 

 of a copy from her). Besides this, I have two or 

 three other works in hand. Judge then whether I 

 am busy or not ! I indeed owe you a grudge for 

 suspecting I should not rejoice with all my heart at 

 your marriage, and quite forget botany itself in so 

 interesting an occurrence. I admire the principles 

 upon which you have made your choice ; they are 

 certainly the only ones upon which a wise man can 

 be happy. How I long to know the lady ! and 

 how much I think myself obliged to her for her 

 kind message ! Tell her, a plant of her drying 

 shall meet with its due reverence ; I shall even be 

 rejoiced to hear she adopts as an amusement your 

 favourite pursuit ; for certainly a similarity of tastes, 

 especially the more elegant ones, endears a com- 

 panion vastly to us. But I shall no less esteem 

 your lady, if I hear that the cares of a family (on 

 which I congratulate you on having a prospect) 

 should take her off even from botany. 



You inquire about my old faithful servant Fran- 

 cois. He is come back, but was robbed on his way. 

 The Archduke of Milan has, however, been very 

 kind to him, and even sent him a present. I hope 

 one day to have him as a botanical servant, as he is 

 above being a mere footman. Perhaps the time 



