CHAPTER XXIII 
aspects of amazonian vegetation and animal 
migrations 
(England, 1864-1873) 
[On reaching England in May 1864, Spruce 
remained for some time in London, at Kew and 
at Hurstpierpoint, with short visits to Mr. Daniel 
Hanbury and to myself. He thus had frequent 
opportunities of seeing most of his botanical friends, 
and his further correspondence with them was of 
little general interest. There is an exception, how- 
ever, in the case of Mr. Hanbury, with whom he 
at once established an intimacy which quickly 
ripened into a close friendship ; and as this gentle- 
man thenceforth acted as Spruce's informal agent 
in London, supplying him with medicines, books, 
and any special delicacies he required (always on 
a strict business footing), while Spruce was always 
ready to give botanical or other information on Mr. 
Hanbury's special pharmaceutical researches, letters 
passed between them weekly, and often daily, for 
many years, amounting in all to nearly a thousand, 
all of which were carefully preserved and were 
presented by Sir Thomas Hanbury (after his 
brother's death in 1875) to the Pharmaceutical 
Society. These were kindly lent me, and a few 
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