SIR,

LETTER LXVII..

Sir Hans Sloane to Dr. Richardson.

August 22nd, 1721.

I thank you for your's of the 17th and for your present, which is altogether rare here, where we have sometimes the black game. The businesse of the inoculation of the small-pox' hath been tryed; and so farr succeeds, as that they are

1 This subject is repeatedly mentioned by Sloane in his subsequent letters; and though, happily for us, it is no longer one of those to which we are tremblingly alive, as involving the safety of ourselves and those most dear to us, still, whatever concerns the history of an introduction so important to human nature, can never be otherwise than interesting. In his letter of the 14th of the following month, he says, "Those who have been inoculated with the small-pox have been discharged from Newgate: only one of them is, about a month hence, to be put to bed to one ill of the distemper, to see whether, after inoculation, they will take it the ordinary way. The persons inoculated had only a common purging potion given them a week before the operation, and the like after their recovery, and no other medicines the whole time."-Again, November 28th, "Inoculation for the small-pox goes on without any risk. Seventy have been inoculated at Boston, in New England, whereof two have died, the rest recovered; and concerning this, there will be (I am told) an account published very soon; and the objections against the practice will be answered."-In another letter, dated March 22nd, 1722, “The inoculation for the small-pox goes on without any risk hitherto : I have seen fifteen inoculated, where have appeared a plain distinct kind of the small-pox;

all well who have tryed it, after going through sickness at stomach, fevers, and eruptions of one kind or other; and I think all of them, except one that had had the small-pox, the true small-pox, with matter in the pustules, and at the wounds where the matter was applyed. He that had the distemper before had his wounds healed presently. We intend to try if carrying in people just up of the small-pox will infect these ingrafted people or not. I have thought it an experiment of great consequence to mankind, and therefore have forwarded it all I could.

I am,

Your most obedient servt,

HANS SLOANE.

and all have gone through it without any hazard;" and finally, on the 28th of the following August, he tells Dr. Richardson that, "The inoculation for the small-pox has gone on here in Town with success, till the hot weather put a stop to it. Many Physicians, Surgeons, Apothecaries, and Divines seem to oppose it with greater warmth than, in my opinion, is consistent with sound reason or the general good of mankind. What turn it will take, time must discover. The Cortex Peruvianus met the same usage at its first entrance into Europe; but it hath been in England received with a general applause of late years, though it has still more enemies than it deserves; and, perhaps, the same reasons at bottom may hinder the use of the one and the other."

LETTER LXVIII.

Dr. Sherard to Dr. Richardson.

LONDON, September 7th, 1721.

DEAR SIR,

"Tis a fortnight this day that my brother and I return'd from our excursion to Paris, by way of Holland, whence I brought a Dutch ague, which has been the occasion you have not heard from me sooner.

We brought many plants from Amsterdam and Leyden, besides what seeds were then ripe; and expect the rest as soon as fit to be gathered. What we sent from France are not yet arriv'd, but expect them every day: as soon as come you shall have part of them, and of the plants next summer when we have increas'd them. We bought also at Haerlem a great number of bulbs, which will soon increase.

I have brought over with me Dr. Dillenius, who has with him most (if not all) of his Fungi1 painted, and all his Lichenes, Lichenastra, and Muscos neatly design'd, with most of the plants he

1 There is still preserved, in the Botanic Garden at Oxford, a collection of about two hundred and fifty coloured drawings of Fungi, by Dillenius, very neatly executed, and none of them yet published.

names for new in his Catalogue, designing to have printed Historia Plantarum Gissensium, as he mentions in his book, to which he has printed an Appendix, with his answer to Dr. Rivinus's objections. I have brought Buxbaum's new Catalogue of the plants about Halle for you, which is all I found new. I think I sent you Ruppii Flora Jenensis, and Scheuchzer's Agrostographia. Vander Aa is reprinting Scheuchzer's Itinera Alpina, with the addition of some more voyages he has since made.2

Mr. Moyle (I heard this day from Stephens) has been dead about two months, which I am sorry for. I don't hear he has left the catalogue of English birds he promis'd to send me to be printed in the Transactions; but Mr. Stephens believes they are added in Mr. Ray's Ornithology, and promises to look after it and write it out.

Mons' Masson of Dieppe is graving his book of the fishes of the Channel: I saw six plates grav'd, and all the designs, (which amount to about two 2 Respecting this work, see Note p. 94. The first edition of these travels had contained only three tours to the second, here alluded to, which appeared at Leyden in 1723, in 2 vols. 4to. six more were added. It was published, as here stated, by Peter Vander Aa, the Murray or Longman of his day; the same whose Bibliotheca Exquisitissima, was, according to Dr. Dibdin, the first announcement of the sale of a library in the life-time of its owner.

3 No notice of this work, or of any one on the same subject, or of any by Masson, appears in the Bibliotheca Banksiana; and I therefore presume that it was never published, though some of the plates were engraved. Masson is again mentioned in the following letter.

hundred,) admirably well design'd: after this he'll print his birds.

His partner is gone for a

My brother is at Eltham, busy in looking after his new acquisitions, and building new stoves: he found a letter from you at his return; but I fear has not yet answer'd it. month or six weeks into the country; so that, when he comes to town, he is as full of business as at Eltham. Mr. Lloyd lives at Cheam, in Surrey, but has a house in town, as minister of CoventGarden: 'tis not far from the church.

Dr. Dillenius will design all the mosses, &c. you have been so kind to furnish me with, and what you shall find new.

I have not been at the other end of the town yet to inquire for letters from Sigre Micheli, whose book ought to have been finish'd and sent before this as soon as I have any news, you shall hear it.

My service to your lady and family. I hope this will find you in good health. Adieu, dear Sir.

I am,

Your most faithfull friend and humble servant,

W. SHERARD.