Cl oTa, Til e H r t, 
Leatherhead, Surrey/" 
4t3i DpcenTier, 197>5 
My dear Holttiim, 
■r 
I am, like yon^ a grasB widower; "but 
in iny case only until tomorrow* M 3 ?' wife is on a visit 
to the Lcrnies. She and i had been hopin,^ fess 
for news from yojiC a,s we had headd nothinf^ since Jusi 
after the ■?ab 3 ?’*s birth. She will be slad to hear, 
as I am, that Mrs Holttiim is well, if in need of a 
chani:e; and that the bab3?' is a 13- right* 
I am glad to hear that youn have get tho 
Dictionary and particular 3 . 3 ?- that you will review it. 
You should not have told me that however as if ties 
A' 
your pen up a bit* I be3-i6ve that Mature has 
published something, but I hav-^ot seeh it. Tomorrow 
I go to Kew and may than chance to see it* I 
have to date seen but two reviir-vs, one una.uthori- 
tative and the other bubbly, and now the note from 
1 
the Mala^ Tribune. The editor is right is calling 
it technical, but i^ any planter is not intelligent 
enough to use it, he must be poor stuff. 
My friends say nice things of it, 
shall drink Hidle 3 ?'*s health in the Linnean 
Clu-b tomorrow night. Rendle chaffing Ridley the other 
ni<?ht told him he must at least manage to live 
until then: w]e n Ridley answer^y^ that he • had receni 
ly chanced to meet the doctor who saw him through 
