Letter and/or further information available at http://linnean-online.org/62552/.
Also published in The Correspondence of Sir James Edward Smith, The Linnean Society's Archive Catalogue.
Please cite as “LINNEAN656,” in Ɛpsilon: The Linnean Society of London Collection accessed on
Received Smith's letter of 13 January. Account of the recent politics: his opinion of the imminent commercial treaty with France; hopes it will allow for natural history exports but uncertain of its long term prospects; account of current political state of the measure. Proceedings in Parliament including call for impeachment of [Warren] Hastings [(1732-1818), Governor-General of India 1773-1785] by [William] Pitt (1759-1806), Prime Minister 1783-1801 & 1804-1806] and others. Lord Mansfield is angry that Sir Lloyd Kenyon has been appointed to succeed him and refuses to resign and wishes for Buller instead. Dimisses a very a popular pamphlet [by Sir Nathaniel William Wraxall] called "A Short Review of the Political State of Great Britain" as "a jumble of the best sort of coffee house conversation". Portugal considered very inferior at the moment but Ministry very much perplexed by Irish affairs as the treaty says France is to be "the most favour'd nation".
Busy amusing himself with the idea of their new [Linnean] Society, which must replace "the present gross body" [Society for the Promotion of Natural History]. Critiques its activities which "go on in the usual way of having a fossil or plant go round the table, nothing is or can be said upon it - it is referr'd to a committee to consider of it" and then sent back and forth between Society and committee. Certain that if Sir Joseph Banks was not president of the Royal Society he would join [Thomas] Marsham, Smith, and himself in the new Society. Goodenough's "Systema Accentuatum" ready for the press but shall not print until Smith returns to England; he and Marsham have described 200 new species. Sent seeds received from West Indies to Kew, also received grasses. Currently setting up his insect cabinet with a collection of "some hundreds".
Hopes Smith sees [Carlo] Allioni; greatly admires his natural history work. Calls [Lazzaro] Spallanzani [(1729-1799), physiologist] a "rascal"; detests a natural history thief "beyond all possible theives" [Scopoli dispute]. Requests 'Curculis paraplecticus' and 'Agrostis minima'.
The Linnean Society of London[View Ɛpsilon collection]
Also published in The Correspondence of Sir James Edward Smith, The Linnean Society's Archive Catalogue.