James Edward Smith, London, to Edmund Davall, Orbe, Canton de Berne, [Switzerland]

Item data

Ref No GB-110/JES/COR/14/70
Title James Edward Smith, London, to Edmund Davall, Orbe, Canton de Berne, [Switzerland]
Letter date 6 Jun 1794
Author(s) Sir James Edward Smith 1759-1828
Number of Pages 10

See full metadata

See comments

Collection home page

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item

GB-110/JES/COR/14/70 from James Edward Smith, London, to Edmund Davall, Orbe, Canton de Berne, [Switzerland] (6 June 1794)

Metadata for GB-110/JES/COR/14/70 from James Edward Smith, London, to Edmund Davall, Orbe, Canton de Berne, [Switzerland] (6 June 1794) Close

Item data

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

His lectures: gave two Germans and an American private courses; is to hold a course on every genus in the Linnaean herbarium, about 50 lectures of an hour each; his usual course of one of zoology and one of botany at home; and one of botany at Guy's hospital; making him very busy but the "profitableness" allows him to let other things give way to it. Spending summer in Norwich with relations from India [the Kinderlseys] and as he has often been asked will give course on zoology and botany at Norwich. Apologises for sending small packet of plants.
Responds to Davall's letter of 14 April 1794: subscibed Davall to [Joseph Trapp's] translation of [Dietrich Heinrich] Stoever's "Life of Linnaeus"; Davall's disorders those of sedentary people; [James] Dickson will communicate full instructions for Davall's proposed greenhouse; flower bud of Botany Bay plant 'Octandria' like an acorn but not the fruit.
Reponds to Davall's letter of 12 May 1794: thanks for [Jacob] Wyttenbach's anecdotes on Haller's collections, will insert them in second edition of his "Tour", if it gets one; general approbation in England for the "Tour" "is very strong" though some think "the politics not courtly enough": De Luc of Windsor thinks him too partial to Rousseau though the majority including the "most loyal & religious like that part of the book, & as to French politics most think I have drawn the line well between liberty & anarchy", it has procured him many new acquaintances and sales very rapid, corrects error in vol 3 p.133 for 'Carex filiformis' read 'capillaris'. Davall should have received second volume of "Linnean Transactions" via Mr de Morsier; 'Lichen saxifragus' correct, 'Lichen ulmi' Swartz is 'L. marmorens' of Dickson's "fasc.". After consultation with [James] Dickson sends account of [Horace Bénédict] de Saussure's [(1740-1799)] lichens [fifth folio] though except for 5 and 8 none of interest. 'Orchis abortiva' specimen not fresh enough for "English Botany", asks if fresher flower spikes could be sent. [James] Sowerby will return Davall's drawings. Sends his paper on ferns and specimens of 'Ophrys loeselii' and 'Malaxis paludosa'. Cannot yet answer Davall's most recent packet though comments that no.1 is not 'Veronica spuria' but probably variety of 'Veronica longifolia', no.2 not different from 'Milium effusum' HL and 'Milium confertum' very different; no.8 must be 'Scilla italica' HL [probably signifies Herbarium Linnaeus].
Current "aspect of politics" very alarming but believes they are safe from insurrection though many think otherwise. His "Tour" being translated into French and Italian, the latter "somewhat castrated". Duchess of Portland [Dorothy Bentinck] died; "we regret her much".
Numbered observations on de Saussure's lichens: 'Scutellis lividis', 'Lichen proboscideus', 'Lichen scaber' [Huds. in pencil], 'Lichen fahlunensis', 'Lichen geographicus', 'Lichen tessellatus' new sp obs, 'Lichen deustus' or 'decussatus' of Villars, 'Lichen pubescens', 'Lichen mesenteriformis' Jacquin "Miscellanea Austriaca" 2 t9 f5, 'L. deustus', 'L. loricatus' new species obs.

Letter date: 6 Jun 1794
Languages: English
Prev Ref No: 14.181
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 Davall's letters of 14 April 1794 and 12 May 1794, to which this is a reply, see respectively JES/COR/14/68 and JES/COR/14/69. Stoever, D H, and Trapp, J (tr.), (1794). "The life of Sir Charles Linnaeus... to which is added, a...list of his works, and a biographical sketch of the life of his son... Translated from the... German by Joseph Trapp." London: White. Smith, J E, (1793). "A sketch of a tour on the Continent in the years 1786 and 1787", London: the author. Smith, J E, and Sowerby, J, (1790-1814). "English Botany" London. Jacquin, N J v, (1778-1781). "Miscellanea Austriaca ad botanicam, chemiam, et historiam naturalem spectantia ..." Vindobonae: Ex Officina Krausiana.