Letter from D. Nevill [Dorothy Nevill] to George Maw

Information

Scope & content: Written from Dangstein, Petersfield. Manuscript

She hopes that the New Year finds Maw and his plants flourishing; Mr Nevill [Reginald Henry Nevill, her husband] has been very unwell, and she has been very anxious; even the plants have suffered; the weather has been terrible; soon Maw’s ‘darlings’ will show their heads; they will meet Maw to see about the rockery; she asks if they can expect a visit soon; she has just had an ebonized wood mantelpiece put up in her small drawing room in London [an accompanying sketch of a mantelpiece with vases is drawn in the body of the letter] and asks if Maw has one or two artistic vases to spare for it; she is concerned that Maw will be ‘disgusted’ by the request, but in one letter he hinted she might ask; it would be their pleasure to give him some plants and to have him to stay; Mr Nevill would welcome the diversion as he leads a dull life; she is busy inaugurating an open air aviary for their country birds, which she hopes will be successful; she asks where Mr Elwes [Henry John Elwes, botanist] is, and sees that his snowdrop has been figured. Dated 21st [Jan 1876 added in a different hand]