Letter and/or further information available at http://linnean-online.org/62538/.
Also published in The Correspondence of Sir James Edward Smith, The Linnean Society's Archive Catalogue.
Please cite as “LINNEAN466,” in Ɛpsilon: The Linnean Society of London Collection accessed on
His experiences in Basle, his first business being to inquire after the mansuscripts and paintings of [Desiderius] Erasmus [(1466-1532), humanist scholar and reformer] and [Hans] Holbein [the younger (1498-1543), artist] held in the Library there. Under the supervision of Professor Falkner saw there Holbein's portrait of Sir Thomas More's family; his "Passion of the Christ" in eight separate panels, praising Holbein's faces for not having "that great stiffness observable in most paintings of the year 1520"; his "Last Supper", Younge's favourite; and two "capital" minitures of Erasmus by Holbein. Another room contained Erasmus' manuscripts including a copy of "Stultitiae Laus" ["In Praise of Folly" (1511)] with drawings by Holbein in the margins; Erasmus' will in his own hand; a manuscript of the Coucil of Basel's suspension of the pope's authority; and a copy of [Fabio] Colonna's [(1567-1650)] "Phytobasnos".
His second visit was to see [Caspar] Bauhin's [(1560-1624), Swiss botanist] herbarium, owned by Mr de la Chenal. Chenal assisted [Albrecht von] Haller in his "great botanical work" and has the greatest private botanical library he has ever seen, including: Dillenius' "Hist. Muscorum", Columnae's "Le Phrasis" and "Phytobasnos", [John] Ray's "Synopsis Plant." (1724), [Sir Hans] Sloane's "Jamaica", Gerard, Jacquin, Linnaeus' "Flor. Lapp.", "Hist. Botan." etc. Jacquin has named 'Lachenalia tricolor' after Chenal, Younge has received a coloured plate of it. Chenal has offered Smith any assistance needed with Bauhin's plants, including those Linnaeus was mistaken about. Jacquin considering publication of a "Systema vegetabilium". Informs Smith that Chenal has two copies of "Phytobasnos", hints that Smith might be able to procure one for himself [Smith did acquire one of these copies].
Recommends Smith visit the house of M Mechel, engraver, for a very fine collection of English, French, and German prints, and a churchyard for a dance of death in in the style of Holbein. No old books in Basel, particularly botanical. Planning on travelling to Paris via Strasbourg.
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Also published in The Correspondence of Sir James Edward Smith, The Linnean Society's Archive Catalogue.