Letter from Sir James Edward Smith to M. L'Heritier in Paris

Chelsea April 11. 1788.

Dear Sir

I return you many
thanks for your publications of Virgilia
& Lonichea; the former is a noble
plant & an excellent genus. The latter
I fear must yield up its new name,
it appears to be Camphorosma Pterauthus
Lin., & answers well to the generic character.
This I thought it right to give you the
earliest notice of the discovery is not
mine, by Sibthorpe’s; he found the
plant in the Levant, & determined it
right. He also made out Scorzonera
tingitana, which was found in Africa by
Mr Desfontaines, & given me in the Paris
garden for a new Sonchus. I never had
examined it.

You will easily I hope
meet with another plant to name after
Mr Desfontaines, who richly deserves one.


p.2
My neighbour Frazer is come back &
says he found two Geraniums in Carolina,
but what they are he knows not, nor
have we yet found them among his
specimens. Probably one is this Carolinianum.
Your order for specimens is not forgot,
but he is so busy with his living plants

that at pres. we can do nothing
with his dried ones.

You must have heard of poor
Lightfoot’s death. The Queen has bought
his herbarium for £100.

You are put down among the foreign
members of our new Linnean Society, &
I hope will favor us with some commu-
nication as soon as convenient. We hope
to publish in a yeaer’s time.

When shall we see you again in
England?

Pray give my respectful comp. to


p. 3

Madme L’heritier & believe me
Dr Sr

Yr very obt frd
& servt
J E Smith

I shall remove in about
a week to
No. 12 Great Marlbro’ Street
London.


p.4

A Monsieur
Monsr L’Heritier
Cousr â la Cour des Aides
rue Quincampoix
â
Paris.


[Notes in French written in a different hand adjacent and perpendicular to the recipient’s address:]

Memoires de la Societe des Sienea de Lauzane T. l. a Paris chez
La Grange. Pour Gr. de M. Reynier

Geranium bicolor. Jacq. M. Reynier poupcouise qes’il jourive
etre hybride ne du G. triste [illegible] papilionacessent [illegible]
de M. Zimmerman à Lausanna