| Description | Thanks for letter of June 15 containing the account of Linnæus's writings and the specimen of Pulteney's intended Flora. The account of Linnæus's writings was read to the Royal Society and was well received. If it is not published in the Transactions it will be submitted to the proprietors of the Gentleman's Magazine as requested by Pulteney. He believes that Linnæus's Itinera has never been published either in French or Latin but has seen extracts in the Bibliothèque raisonnée, and is convinced of the excellence and utility of the work. He approves Pulteney's plan and thinks it should be confined to about a hundred of the more rare plants. He has acquired a copy of Linnæus's Flora Anglica and will send it to Pulteney. He mentions two publications worthy of note: Dr Home's Treatise of Bleaching and Dr Lucas's Essay on Water. Doubts whether Dr Sibthorpe will ever publish Sherard's Pinae; "since the compiling of the work, Linnæus, Haller and others have done a great deal towards settling the Synonyms of former Botanists and have in some degree superseded the necessity of the Pinae."
He considers Dr Russel's treatise upon the glands worthy to be read by all medical practitioners. Is sending a catalogue of the most considerable rare English plants in the amazing collection shown at the "general herborisation of the Company of Apothecaries." Regrets that the loss of his "shopman" will prevent Pulteney from coming to London; he would like to have shown him the new botanic garden at Montagu House, "where though we set out but this spring, there are already five or six hundred plants growing…they thrive exceedingly well, though in the skirts of London."
[There follows a list of rare plants referred to above and on the final page a list in Pulteney's hand labelled "Plants mentioned by Mr Watson as seen on his journey to Bath."] |