Item data
Item Type:
Document
From:
Swartz, Olof Peter
Sent from:
Stockholm, Sweden
To:
Smith, Sir James Edward
Sent to location:
Norwich, Norfolk
Summary:
Pleased Smith received the items he and [Erik] Acharius sent. Thanks for 'Carex' specimens Smith sent. Lists contents of a missing parcel sent for Smith in 1800, it was largely of cryptogamous plants and hopes to make it up again. Surprise at the accumulation of 'Carex' species in the Swedish flora. [Georg] Wahlenberg [(1780-1851)], who collected many of them, is on a return expedition to the north and hopes to go as far as Nordcap, a return journey of 2400 miles. Wahlenberg has described 170 species of 'Carex' in his paper on the subject, to be published in [Swedish] Academy [of Science's] "Handlingar", lists their intentions for enhancing it. Discusses lichens: possibly sent Smith 'Urceolaria gibbosa' instead of 'Lichen cinereus', discusses both. The Upsala 'Lichen calcareus' Acharius sent is not the old 'L. calcareus' but a true 'L. verrucaria' and not different from Smith's 'L. [tessellatus]', 'multipanctatus' comes near to 'verrucaria'.
Recommends [Johann] Hedwig for settling the mosses in the cryptogamic section of "Flora Britannica", his own opinion is that inflorescene cannot serve as a character for genera, further comments on multiple genera including 'Hypnum', 'Bryum', and others. Would like to correct the errors in Hedwig's "Species muscorum". Also recommends [Heinrich Adolph] Schrader's "Journal of Botany" for its cryptogamic content, there was recently an article in it on 'Filicum', asks Smith's opinion on it and sketches what he learnt from it. Sends specimen of 'Arenaria sulcata'. [Johan Gustaf] Acrel died more than a year ago after being weakened by apoplectic fits, his place [as professor of medicine at Uppsala University] has been taken by [Adam] Afzelius' brother. Afzelius is processing the "Sierra Leone novelties somewhat slow".
This letter mentions and discusses multiple lichen, moss, and fern species.
Letter date:
16 Apr 1802
Languages:
English
Prev Ref No:
9.178
Additional Information:
Note type | Note |
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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 | For list of 'Carex' specimens sent by Smith, see JES/COR/9/91.
For further discussion of Wahlenberg's expedition, see JES/COR/9/92; JES/COR/9/94; JES/COR/9/95; JES/COR/9/96; JES/COR/9/99.
Smith, J E, (1800-1804). "Flora Britannica" London: Davis.
Hedwig, J, (1801). "Species muscorum frondosorum discriptae et ... illustratae; opus posthumum editum a [Christian] F[riedrich] Schwaegrichen." Lipsia: Barthus. |