282 ^ETAT. 28. [1837. 



of interest in my collections. I mean to-morrow to see 

 Mr. Yarrell ; if he approves, I shall begin and take more 

 active steps ; for I hear he is most prudent and most wise. 

 It is scarcely any use speculating about any plan, but I 

 thought of getting subscribers and publishing the work in 

 parts (as long as funds would last, for I myself will not lose 

 money by it). In such case, whoever had his own part ready 

 on any order might publish it separately (and ultimately the 

 parts might be sold separately), so that no one should be 

 delayed by the other. The plan would resemble, on a humble 

 scale, Ruppel's 'Atlas,' or Humboldt's ' Zoologie,' where 

 Latreille, Cuvier, &c., wrote different parts. I myself should 

 have little to do with it ; excepting in some orders adding 

 habits and ranges, &c., and geographical sketches, and perhaps 



afterwards some descriptions of invertebrate animals 



I am working at rny Journal ; it gets on slowly, though 

 I am not idle. I thought Cambridge a bad place from good 

 dinners and other temptations, but I find London no better, 

 and I fear it may grow worse. I have a capital friend in 

 Lyell, and see a great deal of him, which is very advantageous 

 to me in discussing much South American geology. I miss 

 a walk in the country very much ; this London is a vile smoky 

 place, where a man loses a great part of the best enjoyments 

 in life. But I see no chance of escaping, even for a week, 

 from this prison for a long time to come. I fear it will be 

 some time before we shall meet ; for I suppose you will not 

 come up here during the spring, and I do not think I shall be 

 able to go down to Cambridge. How I should like to have a 

 good walk along the Newmarket road to-morrow, but Oxford 

 Street must do instead. I do hate the streets of London. Will 

 you tell Henslow to be careful with the edible fungi from Tierra 

 del Fuego, for I shall want some specimens for Mr. Brown, 

 who seems particularly interested about them. Tell Henslow, 

 I think my silicified wood has unflintified Mr, Brown's heart, 

 for he was very gracious to me, and talked about the Gala- 



