From:
unknown
To:
Board of Longitude
Date:
20 January 1801
Source of text:
MM/8/26, Royal Society
Summary:
No summary available.
Contributor:
Royal Society
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Difficulties of sending living plants to England from his current location. Is sending cuttings of 'Salix caprea' male and female, 'Salix rosmannifolia' female, and 'Pyrus salicefolia'. Discussion of roses sent earlier, at least two different species of 'Rosa cinnamomea' and comparison with those in Linnaeus' "Species Plantarum". Married with a son, domestic affairs have delayed various publications.
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Sends Egyptian plants ; has found Papyrus growing at Damietta ; particulars of his travels in Egypt and America.
Discusses 'Dianthus caryophyllus' and proposes two additions to Smith's description of the genus, being 'caryophyllus' and 'hortensia', with three small sketches in pen illustrating his argument. Justifies his course of study.
Observations on the two kinds of 'Dianthus' termed by gardeners "pink & carnation"; argues that they are not both 'Caryophyllus', as Smith determines them in "Flora Britannica", and proposes 'Caryophyllus' and 'Hortensis'; provides characters with three small ink sketches of plant details.
Criticises tendency for botanists to determine a plant at first glance without investigating its characteristics or examining whether existing descriptions are correct, so that incorrect specific distinctions are copied from edition to edition, even though they are useless for identification purposes.
[Note at head verso of first folio: "Read Dec. 15 1807"]
Pleased Smith is satisfied with new volume of "Linnean Transactions", though he thinks some of the papers might have been omitted without reducing its value; convinced that they must give up the idea of publishing every year; explains his and [Jonas] Dryander's decisions in listing books donated to the Library.
Asks when Smith will be in London and when "Flora Britannica" will appear. There were no new papers at last general meeting of the Linnean Society, so they were forced to read an entomological paper by [Samuel] Goodenough previously read before; they now have enough for the next two or three meetings. Persoon's fungi paper has been found.