Jelinger Symons, Hackney, [Middlesex], to James Edward Smith, Surry Street, Norwich, [Norfolk]

Summary

Relinquished his intention to publish "an elementary treatise on botany" and is now working on a "Synopsis of British plants" modelled on the ["Enchiridion botanicum" (1782)] of [Arthur] Broughton [(c 1758-1796), botanist]. Requests Smith's advice: omitting the cryptogamic plants owing to the "inadequacy of the characters" to represent them; wishes to retain the ferns, had hoped to base them on Smith's still anticipated treatise ['On the Genus of Dorsiferous Ferns', published in "Tracts relating to natural history" (1798)], asks whether to present them according to the Linnaean arrangement or to leave them for an appendix with the other cryptogamic plants. Outlines the changes he has made to presentation of characters and synoptic tables.

Asks after announcement of publication of a new "Flora Britannica" and discovery of new British plants recently announced in "Gentlemen's Magazine".

[Smith has briefly annotated his reply]: his volume will appear this year ["Tracts relating to natural history"], thinks it unfortunate that Symons has disturbed natural arrangement of genera in "Species Plantarum" and recommends he studies the cryptogams and compile from his predecessors.

Letter details

Record number

LINNEAN2479

From

Jelinger Symons

To

Sir James Edward Smith

Date

19 Jul 1797

Sent from

Hackney, Middlesex

Sent to

Norwich, Norfolk

Source of text

GB-110/JES/COR/25/93, The Linnean Society of London

Language

English

Contributor

The Linnean Society of London[View Ɛpsilon collection]

Also published in The Correspondence of Sir James Edward Smith, The Linnean Society's Archive Catalogue.

• Jelinger Symons
• Sir James Edward Smith