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Rafinesque, Constantine Samuel in correspondent 
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From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
25 May 1809
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/25/1, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Introduces himself to Smith on strength of his belief that all naturalists in the world should be in communication and promote their studies by exchanging materials and observations. He and Bivona both desire to establish a correspondence with Smith. Sends a fasciculus of his of 16 Sicilian plants [extant]. Publishing a work on new Sicilian genera and species, principally fish, zoophytes, and marine plants; will send copies to Smith and Linnean Society and sends plates of fish now [extant].

Requests to be proposed a FMLS or corresponding member. They intend to institute a Sicilian Linnean Society, modelled on the British one. Lists papers he would like published in England. Sending north American and Sicilian plants for comparison with Linnaean specimens, including 'Euphorbia myrsinites'.

"Fasciculus of 16 Sicilian plants", list of plants that will appear in the work [1 p].

Plates of 21 fish, uncoloured [7 pp].

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
28 Dec 1809
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/25/2, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Asks after his previous letter [25 May 1809], knowing that Smith responded to Bivona; forwarding letter and box of plants from Bivona to Smith. The work he was printing when he last wrote to Smith is delayed, his other planned works. Sends plates [extant] from one of them, “Fasciculus novae vel minus Cognitarum Siciliae plantarum”, with queries for Smith to answer.

Two uncoloured plates of plants.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
20 Jun 1810
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/9/21, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Has not received the letter or package Smith sent last year. Sending copy of his recently published book with Ortolani, "Statistica generale di Sicilia", and will send his "Indice d'ittiologia siciliana" once it is published. Corrects errors in the plants he sent with a previous letter: his 'Saxifraga tenella' appears to be 'Saxifraga hederacea' L.; his 'Orabanche rubia' perhaps a variety of 'O. fetida' Desf.; his 'Arum autumnalis' variety of 'Arum augustifolium' L.; his 'Hippocrepis biflora' variety of 'Hippocrepis [multisiliquosa]' L.; his 'Scabiosa sessiliflora' same as 'Scabiosa dichotoma' of Bernardino D'Ucria and 'Scabiosa parviflora' of [René Louiche] Desfontaines. Query on stigma of 'Cistus'.

Asks for the botanical news since 1805 and whether [Carl Ludwig] Willdenow's "Species Plantarum", [Christiaan Hendrik] Persoon's "Synopsis", and "L'Encyclopedie Methodique" are complete and available in England, following interruption of Sicily's communications with the rest of Europe. Requests copy of Smith's "Prodromus flora Graeca". Requests characters of all new plant genera described since 1805, lists the genera he knows only by name and gives an example of the format he would like them in [Smith has annotated in margin: "sent my paper from ann. of Bot."]. The genera are for his "great work", the aim of which is to apply a simple and uniform method to all plant genera in a similar manner as the classfifcation of animals in zoology.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
12 Jan 1811
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/9/22, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Refers to letter and books he sent in June 1810. Asks Smith to recommend his ichthyological discoveries to Dr [George] Shaw, having heard he recently wrote a "Natural History of Fishes". Resigned to not becoming a corresponding member of the Linnean Society. Sends his memoir on genus 'Bertolonia', which contains 6 species that had been confused with 'Verbena nodiflora'. Asks for directions to send papers to "Annals of Botany". [Antonio] Bivona [Bernardi] is grieved that John White, the bookseller, has refused to sell the books he sent. Currently illustrating [Franciscus Cupani's] "Panphyton Siculum", further remarks on it.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
12 Jan 1811
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/9/23, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

This is a duplicate copy of Rafinesque's letter, sent with his letter of 30 March 1811.

Refers to letter and books he sent in June 1810. Asks Smith to recommend his ichthyological discoveries to Dr [George] Shaw, having heard he recently wrote a "Natural History of Fishes". Resigned to not becoming a corresponding member of the Linnean Society. Sends his memoir on genus 'Bertolonia', which contains 6 species that had been confused with 'Verbena nodiflora'. Asks for directions to send papers to "Annals of Botany". [Antonio] Bivona [Bernardi] is grieved that John White, the bookseller, has refused to sell the books he sent. Currently illustrating [Franciscus Cupani's] "Panphyton Siculum", further remarks on it.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
30 Mar 1811
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/9/24, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Received Smith's letter of 28 October 1810. Sends paper for Linnean Society on two new species of crustacean and lists the others he plans to send. Plans to send package of 100 rare, new, or doubtful Sicilian plants. Comments and corrections on his plants: his 'Primula bicolor' differs from 'Primula acaulis'; lists differences that ought to to be obsevred if his 'Xolantha' is only a variety of 'Cistus guttatus'; plans to send his 'Crocus longiflorus'; question on calix of 'Sedum atratum'; confirmation of his 'Malva peduncalata'. Recently received books: Smith's "Prodromus Florae Graecae" is of great use in Sicily; "Hortus Kewensis", 2nd ed., useful for advancing his knowledge of new genera; and [George] Shaw's "Ichthyology" [presumably from "General zoology"], thinks it inferior to Lacépède, on which it was modelled. Offers to describe Australian plants. Asks after plants sent by himself and [Antonio] Bivona [Bernardi] including 'Orobus siculus' and 'Astragalus siculus'; asks if 'Orabanche rubia', 'Orchis undulatifolia', and 'Orchis bipunctata' are new.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
3 May 1812
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/9/25, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Thanks Smith for revising his paper on 'Bertolonia'. Hopes Smith has received the other papers he sent on two new species of lobster; a new species of 'Echensis'; and a new species of tuber. Observes that "a sort of fatality" seems attached to [Franciscus] Cupani's "Panphyton Siculum", with Cupani, Bonanni and Chianelli, and now himself failing to finish their work on it; asks for Smith's assistance in getting it published in London. Asks whether any English publishers would take up three of his manuscripts: "Flora Sicula", "Sicilian Zoology", and "Critiques des Genres". List of nine botanical works he would like Smith to acquire for him.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
20 Aug 1812
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/9/26, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Sending his "Monography of the genus Callitriche" in addition to the "Description of a new species of Echeneis" sent with his last letter. Asks to be informed of recent botanical and zoological developments in England and Europe, including the publications of [Christiaan Hendrik] Persoon and [Carl Ludwig] Willdenow, "Hortus Kewensis", and Smith's "Flora Britannica" and "Flora Graeca". Details of his own intended publications "General generic criticism; or alphabetical criticism of all the generic names of botany & zoology" and "Order of plants". Impossibility of publishing in Sicily.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
20 Sep 1814
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/ADD/83, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Has not heard from Smith for two years; uncertain if the Linnean Society has received his papers on genus 'Bertolonia', genus 'Callitriche', and descriptions of two new genera of 'Crustacea' and new species of Atlantic fish. Enquires after the bill he sent Smith with which to purchase and send him new natural history books. He has also sent the first volume of a scientific journal he has been publishing since the start of the year as well, but hearing no answer supposes it not acceptable. Encloses several pamphlets. Regrets that their correspondence is not more active. Wishes to know if "Flora Britannica" vol 4 and "Prodromus florae graecae" vol 2 are published.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
20 May 1816
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/25/3, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Encloses an address [extant]. He has sent his “critical observations on some errors of Pursh” by another conveyance. Death of Dr Bery Barton, a member of the Linnean Society. Collecting a new herbarium, currently has 3000 specimens of 150 species. Hopes to be an occasional correspondent with Smith.

“Circular address on Botany and Zoology; followed by the prospectus of two periodical works: Annals of Nature and Somiology of North America. By C S Rafinesque” [33 pp].

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London
From:
Constantine Samuel Rafinesque
To:
Sir James Edward Smith
Date:
15 Jul 1816
Source of text:
GB-110/JES/COR/8/80, The Linnean Society of London
Summary:

Introduces [John] Bradbury, who is returning to England after travelling up the Missouri river. Rafinesque asks for his papers to be returned if they are not being published in "Linnean Transactions". Requests introductions to [William Elford] Leach, [Robert] Brown, [Aylmer Bourke] Lambert, [Richard] Salisbury, and "other eminent botanists and zoologists". Criticises Pursh's "Flora America Septentrionalis" for copying names previously published himself. Dr [Samuel Latham] Mitchill of New York [(1764-1831) naturalist] has published 60 new species of fish in first volume of "Transactions of the [New York] Society" and presented them with account of reptiles, crustaceans, testaceurs etc. Rafinesque has discovered new additional species: 'Perca mucronata', 'Petromyzon xanthodon', 'Phycis marginatus', and presented memoir to New York Philosophical Society on Sturgeons of North America. Plans to explore Lakes Champlain and George, [Vermont and New York] for fish.

Contributor:
The Linnean Society of London