Edmund Davall to James Edward Smith, 12 Great Marlborough Street, London

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Ref No GB-110/JES/COR/14/57
Title Edmund Davall to James Edward Smith, 12 Great Marlborough Street, London
Letter date 5 Apr 1793
Author(s) Edmund Davall 1763-1798
Number of Pages 4

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GB-110/JES/COR/14/57 from Edmund Davall to James Edward Smith, 12 Great Marlborough Street, London (5 April 1793)

Metadata for GB-110/JES/COR/14/57 from Edmund Davall to James Edward Smith, 12 Great Marlborough Street, London (5 April 1793) Close

Item data

Item Type: Document
From: Davall, Edmund
To: Smith, Sir James Edward
Sent to location: London
Summary:

His health is poor and after an emetic and other evacuations now feeling benefit of a course of 'Cinchona officinalis', though if it were not for botany, his wife, and Smith, he would be happy to die. Reminds Smith of his intention to visit in summer of 1793; he has no companion for his walks and is in "a kind of exile". His wife has given birth to a strong and healthy boy, if he lives he must be a botanist.
His library: obtained good Dillenius ["Historia muscorum" (1741)] from Paris for £11 and now has some of his chief desiderata of rare books including [Johannes] Loesel's [(1607-1655)] "Flora Prussica", [Fabio] Columna's "Phytobasanos", and [Nicolaas Laurens] Burman's [(1734-1793)] "de Geraniis", and [Paolo] Boccone's [(1633-1704)] "[Icones & descriptiones rariorum plantarum] Sic[iliae]" but not Boccone's "Museo di Piante rare". Sends money draft settling accounts with [James] Sowerby and [James] Dickson. Requests copy of Sowerby's "Flora luxurians" for his wife, though she prefers 'Geranium striatum' to the brilliant luxuriant flowers. Encloses paper from his Lausanne bookseller Mr Pott to be forwarded to Elmsley.
Smith should keep [Horace Bénédict] de Saussure's [(1740-1799)] lichens, expects to receive more. Has been unable to search for 'Anthericum serotinum' promised to [Richard] Salisbury as the only habitat he knows is 150 miles from Orbe; had hoped to receive Salisbury's coloured work ["Icones stirpium rariorum" (1791)]. Apologises for not sending seeds for Smith and [William] Aiton: 'Crataegus chamaemespilus', 'Veronica praecox' Allioni, 'Crepis leontodontoides' Allioni, 'Turritis alpina', Linnaeus, 'Avena strigosa' Schreber, will wait to collect fresh ones.
First postscript, on left-hand margin of verso of first folio: thanks Lady Rockingham for present of "Icones pictae" and hopes to obtain seed of 'Celsia linearis' Jacq. Second postscript, on left-hand margin of recto of first folio: asks after Mr Este.

Letter date: 5 Apr 1793
Languages: English
Prev Ref No: 14.142
Additional Information:
Note typeNote
Finding AidsDawson, 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 MaterialFor Smith's letter of 26 February 1793, to which this is a reply, see JES/COR/14/56. For Smith's reply of 12 May 1793, see JES/COR/14/59. Dillenius, J J, (1741). "Historia muscorum in qua species veteres et novae ad sua genera describuntur et iconibus genuinis illustra u: cum appendice et indice synonymorum." Oxonii: e Theatro Sheldoniano. Loesel, J, and Gottsched, J, (1703). "Flora Prussica, sive plantae in regno Prussiae sponte nascentes quarum catalogum & nomina Johannes Loeselius ... curante Johanne Gottsched ..." Regio Monti: Sumptibus Typographiae Georgianae. Colonna, F, and Plancus, J P, (1744). "Phytobasanos. Cui accessit vita Fabi et lynceorum notitia adnotationesque ???ia Futobasanos Jano Planeo Ariminensis auctore ... (Piscium aliquot plantarumque novarum historia Fabio Columna auctore. - Jani Planci appendix ad vitam Fabi Col." Florentiae: J.P. Aere. Burman, N L (1759). "Specimen botanicum de Geraniis, &c (Prolegomena) / De medulla radicis ad florem pertingente disserit C.C." Ludguni Batavorum; please note not available in Linnean Society Library but available in Natural History Museum Library. Boccone, P, (1697). "Museo di piante rare della Sicilia, Malta, Corsica, Italia, Piemonte e Germania ... Con l' appendix ad libros de plantis Andreae Caesalpini, e varie osservazioni curiose ..." Venetia: per Jo. Baptista Zuccato. Boccone, P, (1674). "Icones & descriptiones rariorum plantarum Siciliae, Melitae, Galliae & Italiae ... [Edited with a dedication by Robert Morison]." Oxonii: Theatro Sheldoniano. Salisbury, R A, (1791). "Icones stirpium rariorum descriptionibus illustratae." Londini: [printer:] Bulmer.
AdditionalSmith replied 12 May [1793]