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smoke from the guns ; but that they could also, they thought, smell 
the scent of the gun-powder, the wind being N.E. & blowing 
directly from the scene of action at Wickham bushes, tho’ they are 
in a direct line more than twenty miles from hence. 
As I had written to you as long ago as March, I began to fear 
that our correspondence was interrupted by indisposition; — when 
your agreeable letter of July 14th came in, & relieved me from 
my suspence. You do me much honour by calling one of your 
beeches after my name. Linnaeus himself was complimented with 
the L inner a borealis by one of his friends, a mean, trailing, 
humble plant, growing in the steril, mossy, shady wilds of Siberia, 
Sweden, & Russia ; while I am dignified by the title of a stately 
Beech, the most beautiful, & ornamental of all forest trees. 3 
The reason, I should suppose, why your trees have not encreased * 
in growth, & girth this summer is the want of heat to expand 
them. I have not this year measured my firs in circumference ; 
but they have, I see, many of them, made surprising leading shoots. 
My account of the Fern-owl, or Eve-jarr was prevented by 
Madam Procrastination, who, a jade, lulled me in security all the 
spring, & told me I had time enough, & to spare, till at last I 
found that the R. S. meetings were prorogued till the autumn ; 4 
against which I hope to be ready : & as I have got my materials, 
trust that when I do set about the business “ verba hund in vista 
sequentur.” By all means get a sight of tho sixth Report of the 
Commiss r '• &c., it will entertain You, & furnish You with much 
matter, & many anecdotes respecting Selborne, of which I could 
have availed myself greatly had they been printed before I 
published my work. 6 My book is gone to Madras, & several to 
France, & one to Switzerland, & one copy is going to China 
’ The genus Linncea was characterised by Dr. Gronovius, and first published 
as a genus in 1737 in the first edition of Linnaeus ‘ Genera Plantarum.’ 
In the same year appeared the ‘ Flora Lapponcia ’ in which a good figure 
of the plant will be found, as well as in the ‘ Flora Suecica,’ published in 
1715, Only one species of the genus is known, the Liwuca borealis, above 
mentioned. — J. E. H. 
* The meetings of the Itoyal Society for whose ‘ Transactions ’ the 
account of the Fern-owl was intended. See p. 142 note 8. — J. E. IT. 
‘ This Report was printed in February, 1790. See antea p. 168 — J. E. II. 
