On the other side is a note of the books sent, with the charges.-I'me sorry some of them are so dear; but Natural History of all sorts is much in demand. I put in the box the oyster-shell from Chiselhurst, and three or four Bologna stones," of which so many books are wrote the way of preparing them is by poundering one, grosso modo: then dip the stone in brandy and strew the powder on it, and calcine it an hour or two in a charcoal fire take it out and let it cool, 'twill shine in the dark like a live coal.

I am very truly, dear SIR,

Your much obliged friend and servt,

W. SHERARD.

5 The mineral commonly thus called, is a phosphoric substance, originally found near Bologna, from which circumstance it derives its name. Professor Jameson arranges it in his genus, Barytes. Among the authors on this subject is the famous Count Marsigli; but the work most known is one that appeared since the time of Sherard-a Dissertation in the Berlin Transactions for 1749, by Ant. Marcgraf, upon the quality which this and similar spars possess to produce phosphorus.

SIR,

LETTER LXV.

Sir Hans Sloane to Dr. Richardson.

March 9th, 1720-1.

One

I am extreamly obliged to you for your letter and present, which I receiv'd last night, and which gave me a great deal of pleasure in turning over; and which will give me more when I have time to compare them with Mr. Buddle's, Petiver's, and others, which I hope will be very soon. of them, the lanuginosus, &c., I had formerly from Mr. Lhwyd from Wales, but, before, from the mountains on the south of the Streights of Magellan, called Terra del Fuego; brought me from thence, with many other plants, by an acquaintance of mine, who pass'd thro' to the South Seas in 1689, or thereabouts. I am extreamly obliged to you likewise for your offer of eggs, of which I have severall, but many broken and decayed; so that, if it falls in your way, I should be glad to have many of them fresher. If to them you would add some of the smaller nests, they would be welcome. Count Marsigli hath wrote a book, De Architectonica Avium, wherein he describes the nests he saw on the confines of Turkey and the Danube, one of which, he says, floats. I will furnish you with the books out of print which you want, having some of

M

them already twice over; for they are good and not very common. Please to lett me know the names of the rest you want, that I may send you most of them together; for I have reserved in a garret some such duplicates; and, without complement, I shall be glad to have an opportunity to serve you, and will add some other books that I think you have not, which I have twice over.

It is many years past that Mr. Petiver took notice to me, that Dr. Sherard, who was so well qualified and situated to please the curiosity of his English friends, had quite left off any kind of communications with any but those of other countrys, which I attributed to his value for them and contempt of others.' After his arrivall, Mr. Petiver again, and even on his death-bed, took notice of it with some warmth. Upon the Doctor's arrivall, I was not wanting in assuring him of all the services I could do him, and that I entended, as soon as I could, to look out my duplicates of dry'd plants from all parts of the world; that I had promised and entended to divide them amongst my curious

This is not the first notice Dr. Richardson had received of the unfortunate coolness between Sir H. Sloane and Dr. Sherard. The latter of these gentlemen had previously given him a hint of it. “The finishing of the Pinax," he says, in his letter of December 24th, 1720, "is yet doubtfull, though I work at it if Sir Hans will communicate Plukenet's and Petiver's plants, it will be done: if not, it never will be: none but one in England can pretend to do it; and those plants will soon be spoiled."

friends, (wherein I allways reckon you one, and a great benefactor;) and that, because he hath a curious and large collection already, I designed, and do design, he shall have the first and consequently largest share. In the first place, after I had bought Mr. Petiver's collections, books, &c. for a considerable sume, he wanted Mr. Buddle's manuscripts and collections, which I had lent Mr. Petiver, and which he had before I had brought them to my own house. This, he told me, was to answer some queries he had promised to Mr. Vaillant and others. Then he told me he wanted Dr. Plukenet's collections, as well as Mr. Petiver's. I told him that I was then printing my second volume of the Naturall History of Jamaica, which is now near finished, the plates of which had been graved this twenty years, and that I intended, after that was published, to take my collections of dry'd plants to putt in order; that they were two hundred volumes, some of which were very large; that Mr. Petiver's collections he had seen in great confusion; but that, if the labells and references which lay loose were not kept with them, that neither he nor any body else could ever putt them to rights, and therefore pray'd him to go on with other parts, and that in halfe a year mine would be ready. About six months ago, I told him that, at his desire, I had laid aside my other affairs; that one, the first, volume of Dr. Plukenet's was ready for him to carry home; that before he wanted a

second it should be ready, and so on till he should have all; and he tells me, on my minding him two days since, that he is not ready till he hath done some tribes for Mr. Vaillant's book, and that he hath sent for a young physitian2 to help him. Now you may judge by this account what I can do more; for I shall be always ready to assist him. I am,

Your most obedient and most humble servt,

HANS SLOANE.

LETTER LXVI.

Dr. Sherard to Dr. Richardson.

DEAR SIR,

LONDON, March 28th, 1721.

I design'd to write to you on Saturday, but was prevented: however, this I hope will be with you time enough to advise you that, on Friday last, I sent you a packett, rould up, containing the plates wanting in Plukenet's works; the twelve first of Albin's descriptions for Mr. Stanhope; what plates I had by me of Sigre Micheli; the specimen I receiv'd from Sir F. Leicester of the Acorus, and a parcell of seeds, such as I had, fearing you have

2 Undoubtedly, Dillenius, respecting whom Sherard had told Dr. Richardson in a letter, written just a month before this, that he had been "forced to leave off Botany and seek his bread by practice;" and that he had consequently sent him "all the dried and painted plants he had by him."