432 MISCELLANEOUS, 1850-1860 



in their inner correspondence as Brown, Jones, and Eobinson 

 after Doyle's delightful Tourists. Brown was Harvey ; Jones, 

 Hooker ; and Eobinson, Thomson, then established at Kew with 

 the Hookers. In the autumn after their return the first 

 letter to Harvey (November 4) opens : 



MY DEAR BROWN, Your letter greeted us well and we 

 were greatly delighted to receive it. Eobinson says ' he 

 would not like to insure your scrag in Tipperary ' ; Jones 

 says he would, petikularly Mrs. Jones says so. 



And a few days later : 



Mrs. Jones begs to report that all at Kew are flourishing ; 

 Mr. Eobinson especially is in high feather, and evidently 

 much the better for his Swiss trip. Has Mr. Brown heard 

 that Auguste Balmat is expected in London next month ? 

 The Miss Martineaus informed Jones of the fact, hoping he 

 might be able to assist in finding some employment for him 

 during his stay in England a difficult affair. 



A thick yellow fog necessitates the writing of these lines 

 by .candle light ! Finally Mrs. Jones begs her kind regards, 

 and will be very glad to see Mr. Brown at Kew again some 

 day. 



Afterwards the nicknames were regularly kept up in per- 

 sonal messages about ' Mrs. Jones ' and * the little Joneses,' or 

 in planning future trips, as in 1858, when Mrs. Hooker, after 

 drawing up a plan of campaign, adds : 



Now do, Mr. Brown, join your faithful friends the Joneses 

 on this beautiful little tour, which looks so charmingly 

 tempting on paper ; it would add so much to our pleasure 

 to have you with us. We don't mean to be away more than 

 a month, and I shall set to work soon to lay it out in days, 

 so as to get it all in comfortably and I'll keep all the 

 accounts, and you shall have no bother at all, but just 

 enjoy yourself, and I am sure it will do you a great deal of 

 good. Don't say no all in a hurry, but take time to con- 

 sider. Joe sends his love. 



It was a year when, owing to press of work, Hooker confessed 

 he grudged the very time for a holiday, and suggested as a 



