Written from College, Durham. Manuscript
He cannot offer any assistance to Maw's quest; there are 20 officers of the Palestine Exploration Fund on the spot, all engaged at home in bringing out the map, of which the scenery is complete; there will be a party sent out to examine the area of the Lake of Galilee [Sea of Galilee] when they have funds, and he will ensure that attention is paid to botany; the secretary of the Fund is Mr Besant [Walter Besant] at 13 Charing Cross; he thinks there is not much new to be found on the mountains east of Jordan, as they are a continuation of Mount Hermon and he never found any species on the eastern mountains which do not occur on Hermon and Lebanon; the gorges running to the Dead Sea, which are impregnated with sulphur, contain very curious plants such as asclepiads which are little known; Crocus hyemalis grows everywhere; he had it once but lost his collection when he moved to Durham as he has no garden there; Mr H.J. Elwes [Henry John Elwes, botanist] of Preston near Cirencester has a good collection of croci which may help Maw