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Delighted with receiving letter from Celia and hearing her homely gossip. Goes touring and camping in the mountains. On return, describes trying to paint a primula in his tent-door, holding an umbrella with a dense fog of midges and smoke around. Saw great snowy trumpet-lilies on steep brackened hillsides when tramping the long leagues back. Describes the cook getting drunk, falling over a cliff, injuring himself & a pleasant Scotch youth with the staggers, called Jumps [Euan H.M. Cox] taking over- making astonishing concoctions with the jam of little wild white strawberries. ‘And yet it was delightful, the solemn enormous loneliness of the heights, & the silence & the invariable alpine feeling of clean peace & remoteness.’
Celia's letters awaiting him on return from camping where he saw golden anemones beside a babbling beck & hearing black mother bears roaring after their babies among the bamboos. Writes of Celia's daughters marrying, suggests Cynthia one of them, might become his wife, Mrs Me. Suggests Celia will be free to visit him in Peking or Rangoon in late 1920, 1921 to view various sites and shopping together, aware these are lovely fantasies. Enquires about the Beautiful Young Man? [Milner?] Describes how the coolie-porters danced and sang folksongs by the campfire, a genuine art of wild hill people.
Replies to Celia's letter expressing concern about her being taken to pieces on Freudian lines will change her. Writes how he is about to go somewhere remote for eight months, alone, unlikely to get post often and sees it as heroic. Writes of firming up plans to meet Celia & Cynthia in Rangoon. Comments about Marjorie's marriage. At end of letter, writes of his money troubles, his allowance of £1000 having halved in value due to rise in Rupee - notes cost of mules up country will be £300. Needs more shareholders for seeds and asks her to find any wealthy acquaintances who might be interested in a share in seeds of new trees, shrubs & flowers.
Writes of his uncertainty of their friendship, returning to life in London, parties, insufficient money to live in London (plans to come up to London to judge at the RHS, a few days a fortnight) Speaks of being happy and viewing this year as period of wonderful growth & realisation and refreshment. Enquires about Celia's re-constructions with Freud's representative, hopes he still remains present. ‘My happiness remains waterproof.’
Letter from William Achard, Edinburgh, to John Hutton Balfour dated 27 September 1870; Achard is unable to accept an invite to dinner as he has had to cancel visit to Edinburgh and return to Geneva. If Balfour has any messages for Geneva, Achard offers to take them.
Letter from James Adams, Glasgow, to John Hutton Balfour dated 1854; Adams is impressed by Dr. Abernethy's paper, Balfour's remarks and also those of Balfour's friends who agree with you on the Coal question; Greville's acceptance of the Civil jury's decision has not affected the scientific question. Such a style of controversy shows how Scientific opinions can differ widely, free from personal views. Adams requests a delay in decisions until Balfour has a fuller explanation of the rings in the section of coal shown. [continues at length disagreeing with Balfour's evidence] and states that although Balfour's explanation was innocent it was mistaken and he should recall it in the name of Science. Adams writes this as a friendly challenge and the result will either modify Balfour's views or those of Adams and others who disagree.
William Aitken encloses a specimen of Scalariform tissue from the Torbane Hill coal seam. He has been examining various samples of coals and stratified rocks since he saw Balfour and is now even more certain that the stratified slices of Cannel coal are NOT vegetable matter but are in the structure of the coal. He wishes Balfour success in demolishing Bennett and would enjoy hearing it when it takes place.