Item data
Item Type:
Document
From:
Wentworth, Mary Watson-
To:
Smith, Sir James Edward
Summary:
As she knows that "Doct[o]r Smith's memory retains ever plant that he ever saw, or ever read of" asks her to identify plant in her pine hothouse in kitchen garden just now come into flower, sends specimen of flowers and leaf for [James] Sowerby to paint if rare, in similar style to the 'Catesbaea' he did for her.
"The Home Oracle" agreed with her that the 'Gordonia' is correctly placed in "Hortus Kewensis" and also concurred on its resemblance to 'Camelia' in part of flower; asks Smith to explain his separation of the two "sister 'Gordonias'. Uncertain if her new 'Geranium' will flower. Asks Sowerby to directly send the two numbers of his "Florist". Thinks Sowerby's small work mentioned by Smith "would be very pleasing" ["English Botany"] but as it would feature English plants fears it would interfere with [William] Curtis' ["Botanical magazine"] and the "great work of English plants".
Letter date:
14 Dec 1790
Languages:
English
Prev Ref No:
15.186
Additional Information:
| Note type | Note |
|---|
| 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. |
| Related Material | Aiton, W, (1789). "Hortus Kewensis; or, a catalogue of the plants cultivated in the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew..." London: Printed for George Nicol.
Smith, J E, and Sowerby, J, (1790-1814). "English Botany" London. |
