Thanks for specimens; requires "Sparrmannia" to be engraved with Tournier's portrait of Sparrman; progress of his work.
Thanks for specimens; requires "Sparrmannia" to be engraved with Tournier's portrait of Sparrman; progress of his work.
Offers specimens for Smith and Banks; proposed establishment of a local Linnean Society; his correspondence with Linnaeus; desiderata.
Translating Pulteney's work on Linnaeus and adding a supplement of vindication.
Various subjects.
"Sherardia foetida".
"Sida"; "Louichea"; Sibthorp; gratified at election as F.M.L.S.
Examining herbarium of La Billardière; has sent Banks a drawing of "Amaryllis undulata".
The Frazer collection; its value.
A new edition of the "Systema naturae".
Sends two medical dissertations.
Queries on nomenclature of several plants: is the blue monkshood the '[Aconitum] napellus' or '[Aconitum] cammarum'; is the common London tuft 'Dianthus barbatus' or '[Dianthus] carthusianorum'; asks for the name of the plant he encloses [not extant].
Smith has annotated his responses in the margin, confirming 'Acontium napellus', 'Dianthus barbatus' and has sent 'Dianthus carthusianorum', and Rose's specimen is 'Melaleuca scoparia'.
This letter is from two correspondents.
[L'Abbé de Ramatuelle writes:] Is studying trees of Europe; asks Smith to send boughs of all species of Engish trees packed in moss; other demands.
[D'Autie writes:] confirms the Abbé's requisitions.
Requests copy of Smith's "De Generatione". Does Smith know in what [Peter Simon] Pallas published about discovering the hearing organs of crayfish. Has translated [John] Hunter's "Memoir on the Digestion" [(1728-1793), surgeon], as well received as Hunter's "Animal economy" and work on venereal diseases. Plans to publish third, fourth, and fifth volumes of his own "Annotations Anatomiques" this year.
Still awaiting the works Smith sent, in addition requests transcription of [Johan Christian] Fabricius' 1783 memoir on the hearing of insects and tracings of the plates for his own work. Congratulations on establishment of Linnean Society, gratified by invitation to join. Highlights errors in [Lazzaro] Spallanzani's [(1729-1799), Italian physiologist] work on digestion by comparing it with [John] Hunter's [(1728-1793), surgeon] memoir on same. Chair of Chemistry and Botany at University of Pavia still vacant since death of [Giovanni Antonio] Scopoli.
[On separate folio] List of plant names, possibly in a different hand, no reference to this in the rest of the letter.
Thanks for the tracings from [Johan Christian] Fabricius' 1783 memoir on the hearing of insects; notes that Fabricus does not seem to have looked into the internal structure of the hearing organs of crayfish. Notes a dissertation by Mr Minasi titled "Dissertazione dei Timpanetti dell'udito scoperti nel Granchio Paguro" (1775) that may predate Fabricius' work. [Giovanni Antonio] Scopoli's successor at University of Pavia is Brusatti, previously Professor of Chemistry at the Theresian College in Vienna.
Introduces [Edmund] Davall.
Natural History Society formed in Paris, sends names of members.
Advises Smith to write to Noailles. Is working on Mammals and collecting insects. A recipe for preparing potato-pulp.
Has enquired with Dr [Richard] Beadon, master of Jesus College, Cambridge, about the possibility of Cambridge University Press printing Smith's new edition of "Philosophia Botanica", Smith is to write to Beadon with further details of the work. Slight concern that the Press may object to printing Smith's name and degree on the title page in case it gives the impression of sanctioning Smith's [Leiden] degree. Hinted that a "neat edition" of all Linneaus' works would be welcomed at the Press.
Encloses letter from Dr [Richard] Beadon [see RelatedMaterial below] discussing possibilities of Cambridge University Press publishing Smith's new edition of "Philosophia Botanica". Suggests Dawes, of Peterhouse, as a mediator if Smith is unwilling to make the printing request himself. The Press will not pay for the paper but will make an unspecified allowance, gives example of [Richard] Relhan receiving £50 for "Flora Cantabrigiensis".