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Thanks for ["Compendium florae Britannicae"]; praises Smith's writing and "unassuming display of knowledge", which is the opposite of modern authors, who "promise mountains, & very often produce not even molehills". Recently suffered from gout in his left hand. Sending copy of rare [John] Ray work after noticing scarcity of his works in Linnean Society library catalogue [see RelatedMaterial below].
Difficulty of acquiring good specimens of 'Lichen tenuissimus' to send [John] Pitchford after the banks of it were so "thoroughly pillaged" by Dawson Turner and Dr Nöder; observations. Glad Smith liked his pamphlet of letters [subject unclear].
Thanks for Smith's two letters; his alarm was less by the time the first arrived and his daughter [Mariamne Johnes] has recovered quickly; [Thomas] Beddoes [(1760-1808), chemist and physician] was right in speaking out his mind and now rises in his opinion, and Mariamne is now happier than she has been in last six months. Beddoes prescribed her small doses of the 'Calx muricata' and a drop of muriatic acid twice a day, which works "wonderfully well"; she has no phlegm or cough though at one point Beddoes feared tuberculosis; her activities. Delighted with Bristol and its environs, "the air & water have a peculiar softness". Asks [Thomas] Marsham to send sixth volume of "Linnean Transactions".
Charged to revive the correspondence between Picot la Peyrouse [Philippe Picot Lapeyrouse] and Smith.
Thanks for copy of Smith's "Flora Britannica", gratified that he now has a standard to which his botanical arrangements can conform, although regrets that his favourite class of gynandrous plants has not been included.
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Thanks for copy of "Flora [Britannica ?]"; glad to hear of Smith's improved health. His daughter [Mariamne Johnes] was ill whilst he was away but [Thomas] Beddoes [(1760-1808), chemist and physician] is "exceedingly attentive to her". Lord Lansdowne says that the Borghesi and two other "fine collections" are coming to England for sale, and that £6000 was asked for the "Gladiator".
Use of Latin terminology. Forgot to mention his promtion to the Lieutenancy. The patent is "working out" and he will have to go to London to "kiss hands". Has been made "quite comfortable" by the abolition of the auditorships in the last session of Parliament, as he has been placed on a similar footing with those who were appointed for life, for "no minister had ever any bowels". His sister frequently visits from Bath, [Somerset], and Mr Williams, [her husband ?] is in London: they have "been sadly cheated" but Smith's countryman, Sir George Chad, "behaved most handsomely" and got them out of a "a dreadful scrape".
Received Smith's letter of 10 May [1800]. Comments on discrepancies in 'Astragalus' specimens sent by Mr Cullum. Comments of the Linnean Society on his paper on horned cattle "just"; further observations. Hopes to live to see completion of "Flora Britannica". Account of Mr [Charles] Morse, young botanical protege introduced by Smith; introduced him to Dr Rutherford. Thanks for curious collection of seeds of plants he has never seen; has given them to the Botanic Garden.
Received Smith's letter; returns [James] Anderson's letter and sends £2 for Linnean Society subscription. Smith's seeds on the way; applies adage "that the more one has the more one desires" to plants. Botany Bay seeds do "vastly well" and asks if any attempts have been made to naturalise them. Has been sending out and reprinting a paper in an attempt to make an "excellent mode of improvement as public as possible" and also busy working on Froissart [(c 1337-c 1405), French chronicler] and printing his "Advice to Tenants".
His family all well and they hope all danger has passed. "Poor little Jones" [medical practitioner attendant on his daughter, Mariamne Johnes] suffered a bad accident on journey to Hafod when the mail coach turned over and lacerated his leg. A passage in Latin for Smith's amusement.
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