William Roxburgh, Calcutta, [Bengal, India], to James Edward Smith, London [duplicate]

Summary

This is letter is marked as a duplicate and was presumably sent at a later date to ensure arrival of at least one copy of the letter.

Has found new plants in Bengal including 'Asjogam' of "Hortus Malabaricus" vol 5 tab 59, thinks it a new genus and has named it after the late Sir William Jones ['Jonesia'] [(1746-1794) philologist and scholar of ancient India]. A manuscript of Jones' botanical observations to be posthumously printed in "Asiatic Researches" vol 4. Sends Jones' description of the 'Asjogam' and his own with drawing, hopes Smith can publish one. Has 400-500 drawings of plants to send by the next ships, his previously sent drawing of 'Nauclea orientalis' incorrectly labelled. Bark of 'Corchorus olitorius' and 'Corochorus capsularis' discovered to be equal to "the best flax" and will be a valuable export, it was mentioned by [Georg Eberhard] Rumphius and asks if it is known if "the ancients" or any other people substituted flax for it; the Bengali have long used it but only for cordage and twine uses, they believe 'Crotalaria juncea' is more valuable.

In postscript additional to the original letter writes that the majority of the season's ships have arrived but without letters from Smith or Mr Molesworth, fears some of his letters to Europe may have been lost.

Letter details

Record number

LINNEAN3163

From

William Roxburgh

To

Sir James Edward Smith

Date

20 Aug 1794

Sent from

Calcutta, India

Sent to

London

Source of text

GB-110/JES/COR/8/106, 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.