| Ref No | GB-110/JES/COR/17/74 |
| Title | William Roscoe, Allerton [Hall, near Liverpool, Lancashire], to James Edward Smith, Norwich, [Norfolk] |
| Description | Confined to his house for the last three weeks but almost recovered. [Liverpool Botanic Garden] has purchased [Thomas] Velley's herbarium, including his marine specimens. Asks if his "Rocket against the French botanists" [paper comparing systems of Linnaeus and Jussieu, see RelatedMaterial below] has been read yet; thinks he can now fully explain the distinction between a natural and artificial system; wishes the animosities between Britain and France could be confined "within such harmless limits" but the business of "cutting throats" now seems to be a permanent state of society. Published some brief observations on speech by Lord [Thomas] Grey [de Wilton, 1st Earl of Wilton (1749-1814)] and has collected his political tracts into a volume, will send copies for Smith, William Taylor, John Taylor, and Samuel Taylor.
[Liverpool Botanic] Garden flourishes; [John] Shepherd [(c 1764-1836, curator Liverpool Botanic Garden] has "collected more plants than he cou[l]d probably have done in a voyage round the world". Sorry to hear that so many of the country's finest [plant] collections are being broken up and dispersed; symptomatic of the state of the nation led by ministers who "ride it like an ass, with nails for spurs, & a bludgeon for a whip". |
| Date | 2 Jan 1811 |
| Level | Item |
| Extent | 4 pp |
| Language | English |
| Related Material | Roscoe, W. "On artificial and natural arrangement of plants and particularly on the systems of Linnaeus and Jussieu." Read 6 & 20/11, 4 & 18/12/1810 and 15/1/1811.
Roscoe, W, 'On Artificial and Natural Arrangements of Plants: and particularly on the Systems of Linnaeus and Jussieu', "Transactions of the Linnean Society of London", 1813 11(1), pp.50-78.
Roscoe, W, (1810). "Occasional Tracts relative to the War between Great Britain and France, written and published at different periods, from the year 1793; including brief observations on the Address on His Majesty, proposed ... in the House of Lords, June 13, 1810." London; please note not available in Linnean Society Library. |
| Publn_Note | Smith, P (ed.), (1832). "Memoir and correspondence of... Sir James Edward Smith" London: Longman, vol 2, pp.343-345. |
| PrevRefNo | 17.149 |
| 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. |
| Creator Name | Roscoe, William (1753-1831) |
| Access_Status | Open |