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GB-110/JES/COR/14/47 from James Edward Smith, London, to Edmund Davall, Orbe, Canton de Berne, [Switzerland] (21 February 1792)
Metadata for GB-110/JES/COR/14/47 from James Edward Smith, London, to Edmund Davall, Orbe, Canton de Berne, [Switzerland] (21 February 1792) Close
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His street was not affected by the fire at the Pantheon, although [Robert] Batty's shop was destroyed and he and his family took refuge with Smith.
Responds to Davall's letters of 31 January and 3 February 1792: promises to visit Davall soon but wants to publish his "Sketch of a Tour on the Continent" and "Systema vegetabilum" first; François [Borone] to be [Adam] Afzelius' assistant in Sierra Leone, commissioned by the new Company to collect plants for at least a year, advantageous situation for Borone, and Smith will receive a share of the plants, roots, and seeds collected; when François returns Smith intends to tour to Genoa to visit Davall and Mount Cenis again; impatient to hear from [Dominique] Villars; applauds Davall's comments on naming of plants after botanists, shall give Davall's name to 'Trichomanes canariense' but requests a paper from him for second volume of "Linnean Transactions"; has no duplicate of 'Smithia sensitivia', it flowered and seeded at Turin in 1790; admires Davall's manner of drying plants.
[Carl Peter] Thunberg compared specimen of his [Smith's] 'Festuca' with [Joachim] Burser's [(1583-1639)] original specimen at Upsala, so there is now no doubt, but [Martin] Vahl [(1749-1804)] has published discovery as his own in second volume of "Symbolae botanicae" but made mistake of saying he learned what 'Anthoxanthum paniculatum' was from the Linnaean herbarium.
Has been introduced to the Royal Family as this summer he is to arrange the Queen's herbarium, previously [John] Lightfoot's, give the Queen and princesses a course of botany; comments on the Queen's behaviour and dignity. Has not taken any salary for the job for the sake of dignity and future influence and interest.
Prescribes a tablespoon of melted butter with the salt skimmed off before bed for Davall's costiveness; excellent for bowel complaints but "neglected for nasty drugs & irritating oils". Eager to see vegetable part of [Johann Friedrich] Gmelin's [(1748-1804)] "Systema naturae". Glad Davall found [Johann] Hermann agreeable, "an excell[ent] & pleasant man". Pleased Davall likes his figure of 'Festuca spadicea'. Waiting for lichens before sending parcel of plants, will also send second edition of "Flora Lapponica".
| Note type | Note |
|---|---|
| Related Material | For Davall's letter of 31 January 1792, to which this is a reply, see JES/COR/14/45. Smith, J E, (1793). "A sketch of a tour on the Continent in the years 1786 and 1787" London. Vahl, M H, (1790-1794). "Symbolae botanicae, sive plantarum, tam earum, quas in itinere inprimis orientali, collegit P[ehr] Forskal, quam aliarum, recentius detectarum, exactiores descriptiones, nec non observationes circa quasdam plantas dudum cognitas." Haunia: [privately]. Comments on Vahl in Smith, J E, 'Additional Observations relating to Festuca spadicea and Anthoxanthum paniculatum', "Transactions of the Linnean Society of London", 1794 2(1), pp.101-102. Linnaeus, C, and Gmelin, J F, (1788-1793). "Systema naturae per regna tria natuirae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis." Lipsiae: Impensis Georg. Emanuel. Beer, 13th ed. Linnaeus, C, and Smith, J E, (1792). "Flora Lapponica" London: B. White & Son. |
| Finding Aids | Dawson, W R, (1934). "Catalogue of the manuscripts in the Library of The Linnean Society - Part I. The Smith papers: The correspondence and miscellaneous papers of Sir James Edward Smith", London: Linnean Society. |
