^ T . 28.] JOURNAL. 127 



of the Edinburgh garden, and the plants are not in 

 such nice order. Loddiges was very kind to me. 

 Ward selected a few pretty plants for Miss Hooker. 

 I forgot for the moment that there was such a world 

 of waters between us, and was on the point of selecting 

 some for you know whom ; I am not sure that I did 

 not bring some after all. 



Loddiges took us to his house and showed his col- 

 lection of humming-birds, which is the finest in the 

 world. He had nearly 200 species, and usually sev- 

 eral specimens of a kind, very beautifully mounted 

 and arranged. You can't imagine how beautiful they 

 are ! They are his great pets, and I do not wonder. 

 I returned through the City, stopped a few moments 

 at the British Museum, dined with Joe Hooker at his 

 hotel near me, and shortly after saw him start for 

 Glasgow. I sent by him a copy of " Outre Mer " to 

 Lady Hooker. At nine P. M. I went to the meeting oj 

 the Royal Society, heard a paper read of the Hon. 

 Fox Talbot's on the power of objects not only to sit 

 for, but to draw their own portraits, which has just 

 been making a great noise in France. It is done by 

 the influence of the light of the sun upon paper pre- 

 pared by nitrate or chloride of silver. Talbot seems 

 to have found out all about it long ago, but the French 

 have published first. I will write the doctor more 

 particularly about it, and send the " Athenaeum " con- 

 taining the account when it appears. 



I have neglected to say that I received two days 

 ago a very kind note from Lindley inviting me to 

 come down to his place, dine with him on Sunday 

 next, stay all night, spend Monday at his herbarium, 

 and meet a few botanical friends at dinner, and re- 

 turn next morning. I declined of course the invita- 



