| Ref No | GB-110/JES/COR/11/70 |
| Title | Samuel Goodenough, Rose Castle, [Carlisle, Cumberland], to James Edward Smith, Norwich, [Norfolk] |
| Description | Forwarded Smith's letter to [George] Don and believes Don will be satisfied with Smith's conciliatory manner and correct his mode of publication, which is symptomatic of a general surplus of natural history publications: "everyone [is] publishing, quite to the nausea of purchasers, the commonest things - when [George] Shaw [(1751-1813), naturalist] published the cock-sparrow & the common snail, I thought it high time to discontinue the Nat[urali]st's Miscellany". Don's discoveries are very valuable; the 'Hypericum' and 'Equisetum' were new to him. Believes others have been more devious than Don has been in attempting to naturalise foreign plants; cites example of Laurents and himself sowing 'Sisymbrium polyceratium' in the streets of Bury [in reference to claims by James Donn of Cambridge Botanic Garden that Don had used Cambridge seeds to grow and then claim as plants indigenous to Scotland, see RelatedMaterial]. Thinks Don's 'Lamium' a distinct species especially if the leaves are constantly petriolated.
Hugh Davies sent him his three species of articulated 'Juncus' but one had no leaves to it [see RelatedMaterial below]. Remembers the 'Sempervivum sediforme' at Kew and contending with [William] Aiton [(1731-1793), gardener at Kew] that it was 'Sedum', Aiton convinced it was 'Sempervivum' on [Daniel] Solander's authority. Pleased by Smith's proficiency in Greek and with Dioscorides, recommends Theophrastus and Bodaeus' notes. Sorry to see that "envious creature [Richard Salisbury] again barking at you" and reaffirms that Smith is the "King of Nat[ural] History". Was not aware that Dr [John] Hull [(1761-1843), physician and botanist] was of such a "predatory turn". Eager to see "Flora Britannica" complete but glad to find "Florae Graecae Prodromus" progressing so well. |
| Date | 12 Nov 1808 |
| Level | Item |
| Extent | 4 pp |
| Language | English |
| Related Material | For letters from Charles Lyell discussing James Donn's accusations of George Don see JES/COR/6/115; JES/COR/6/116; and other letters from Goodenough JES/COR/11/74; JES/COR/11/97.
Davies, H, 'A Determination of Three British Species of Juncus, with Jointed Leaves', "Transactions of the Linnean Society of London", 1810 10(1), pp.10-14.
Theophrastus, Scaliger, J C, Consatninus, R, and Bodaeus, J, (1644). Theophrasti Eresii de Historia plantarum libri decem ... cum notis ... illustravit Joannes Bodaeus a Stapel ... Accesserunt Julii Caesaris Scaligeri animadversiones: et Roberti Constantini annotationes... Amstelodami: Apud Henricum Laurentium.
Smith, J E, (1800-1804). "Flora Britannica" London: Davis.
Sibthorp, J, and Smith, J E, (1806-1813). "Florae Graecae prodromus: sive plantarum omnium enumeratio, quas in provinciis aut insulis Graeciae invenit Johannes Sibthorp... Characteres et synonyma omnium cum annotationibus elaboravit Jacobus Edvardus Smith." Londinum: [printer:] Taylor. |
| Notes | Smith replied 17 [Nov 1808] |
| Publn_Note | Smith, P (ed.), (1832). "Memoir and correspondence of... Sir James Edward Smith" London: Longman, vol 1, pp.574-576. |
| PrevRefNo | 11.136 |
| 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. |