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Down Saturday [16 April 1864]

My dear William

It is very nice that you can come.

Today we are sending to Croydon to meet G. Hen. & Horace on their way from L.H.P where they have been staying 3 days & to take them to the Crystal to see the show. Horace & Anne will come

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home after depositing the others. Aunt Eliz. will be there & means to come her this evg.

(Papa has been thinking a great deal about the Pulmonaria & suspects that you will find gradations between the two forms of the long styled, & between the two forms of the short styled).

Papa has been wonderfully well for some days &

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he thinks the frequent doses of Chalk & Mag. [Magnesium] do him real good & the Podophillin once in 4 or 5 days makes him feel wonderfully well for a day. The pipes are ordered for the new greenhouse & I think it will be begun soon.

Luckily Mack has taken a turn, as most strangely Fanny has not taken alarm from the Telegrams & letters & they have been to Naples since & expect

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to be at home by the beginning of May, so I trust no harm will come of the delay. Poor Angus was in too odd & strange a state to be able to walk out & his father is very unwell & seem quite incapable of making up his mind to putting him in an Asylum. It is so dreadfully bad for poor Eva not to mention Mary who however seems not to feel any real misfortune as any one else would—

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It is quite provoking this hideous day after all the bright now pouring rain weather we have had. I enjoy the fuss with Garibaldi chiefly because I hope it will vex Austria & France. But I an very fond of Gari— himself tho' he behaved like a goon in that last affair. Miss Fall's present of books will make you look quite respectable & like a family man.

(we have just had the gorgeous Mr. W. Salt with the title deeds to sign—

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& he is gone down with Parslow to call on Mrs P. which will please her.)

Papa finds he can count seeds in the microscope very well tho' he can read so little. George was greatly consoled for his disappointment by the letter from the tutor shewing how high he had been in the list

Goodbye—