equal. He shewed me, with all the civility imaginable, the finest collection of natural curiositys I ever yet met with, besides other civilitys I received from him; but the designes that I show'd him were disposed of to Dr. Sloane the morning before; and were after, by Mr. Buddle's motion (who was with me at Dr. Sloane's), borrowed to showe Dr. W. They was then not my owne; and he takes it ill that I should be soe backward in lending him them. I had promist to returne them to Dr. Sloane when I came back from Dr. W.; and I was not willing to disoblige him if I had met with Dr. Woodward before I had disposed of them, he should with as much frankness have had them as Dr. S.; for it was never my thoughts to let them appeare in publique.

LETTER XXV.

Mr. Sutherland to Dr. Richardson.

WORTHY SIR,

EDINBURGH, September 19th, 1702.

I received your much-longed for letter, with a very ample satisfieing account of what remarkeable occurred in your last spring journey to London. I have hade the honour of the acquaintance of some of those learned and curious Gentlemen ye met with, as Dr. Uvedale at Enfield,

who has given me frequent supplies of rare seeds and plants from his famous and well-stocked garden, and Mr. James Petiver, who has gifted me with a good number of his Centuries. While Mr. Charleton lived, I keept a constant correspondence with him; and he keept for me such duplicats of medals as came in his way and he thought I might want; and now, by means of my speciall good friend, Dr. Sherard, I'me in hopes to have the same with Dr. Sloane, who has succeeded to Mr. Charleton's collection. I've heard much of Mr. Stonestreet, both for shels and medals, and intend to use my best endeavours for his acquaintance. I have not yet hade any account of Mr. Buddle, who, ye say, is reputed the most skillfull in the knowledge of grasses and mosses' of any in England: I should be glade to be further inform'd of him by your next. Some ten dayes after I received your's, and also a letter from Mr. Brown, by the common post, your box came to my hands in good condition. It was close nailed, the empty parts filled up with saw-dust, and contain'd about the number of sixteen fossils, all wrapt up in papers, one shell, five brass medals, five silver ones, two of a coarser mettall, all Roman, and one small Spanish silver Real. All these were very acceptable; and I was exceeding

1 For the praise of Buddle on this score, see Mr. Vernon's letter, p. 73.

glade that ye hade not sent the plants with them, and think they may come much better next spring. I find occasions of transmitting boxes uncertain and unsure by the common carriers, and therefore shall wait the opportunity of some acquaintance going from this place for London by York, with whom I shall send the violet smelling stone,2 Elf arrow, some fossils got in this country, with what ancient Scotch coyns I have for you. All shall be put up

2 This violet-smelling stone had previously been mentioned in several letters from Mr. Sutherland, who set so much value upon it, that in one of them he tells Dr. Richardson he was afraid to venture it by the common carrier. His first account of it is curious :-" Lately there was sent me from our Northern Highlands, some forty miles distant from this, a stone, which I was much surprised with. It is of no regular figure, pretty hard, grayish coloured, with many sparkles like silver all over, indifferent ponderous for its size, weighing about thirteen ounces, and smells most strongly of March violets, Iris Florentina roots, or, I think, rather Leucojum luteum, sive Keiri flore pleno. When I got it, I was somewhat apprehensive it had been scented by art, and therefore infused it a whole night in warm water by the fire-side. It soon communicated the smell to the water, which it retained four days, till I cast it out; and the stone continues yet as odoriferous as ever. It was found by a small brooke side, where they say there are several of the same sort and smell. I purpose next May to visit the place, and bring as many as I can from thence to oblige my curious friends.”— Anselmus Boetius, in his Historia Gemmarum et Lapidum, Lib. 11. cap. 292, De Saxis Olentibus, makes mention of such a stone; as does Geo. Agricola, de Ortu et causis Subterraneorum, Lib. xv. pag. 517. It were impossible to determine whether the plant in question, which gave the smell that Sutherland inaccurately ascribed to the stone, was the Conferva aurea, or the Lepraria Jolithus. The fact of the scent had been already observed by authors, and the question had been discussed, whence it originated.—See Dill. Hist. Musc. p. 9.

in a box, sealed and directed for yow, to be left with Mr. James Scourfield, Druggist, in Pettergate, York. When the Bryonia nigra seeds are ready, I request ye would gather some for me, as also of the Frangula, if it growes with yow, and any other seeds of your plantæ indigena ye think I may want. What ever ancient Roman or Saxon coyns ye can purchase for me, ye shall be thankfully repayed with Scotch pieces, which I shall reserve for you as they come in my way. I should be glade of a list of the Scotch ones ye have already, that I may the better know whether ye desire any in gold. Set down the size, weight, and inscriptions of the pieces ye have. Dr. Oliphant gives you his humble service.

I am, worthy SIR,

Your most humble obliged servant,

JA. SUTHERLAND.

LETTER XXVI.

Sir Hans Sloane to Dr. Richardson.

GOOD DOCTOR,

LONDON, December 24th, 1702.

I hope you will pardon my long silence, and not returning you my thanks for your last present of plants, with which I receiv'd à form'd stone of a singular shape. I begg your pardon for this neglect, which was not out of any

disrespect, but a continuall hurry of one thing or other. Mr. Petiver shew'd me a good while since a letter of yours to him, wherein you gave him leave to grave your rock plants with his other naturall things in his Decades; upon which I gave him your draughts, desiring him to take great care of them, and to see what of them yet have been taken notice of. I was very willing he should have them, because of his great industry and collections of the like nature, tho' I did design to have published them in the Transactions. But they may be again published or referred to from thence; for they are very fine and very curious. Dr. Tournefort is returned from his great voyage into Asia, and is now publishing his voyage,' wherein will be two hundred plates of plants. There is nothing new coming out in England or beyond sea that I know of, unless it be Strabo and Suetonius, that are printing in Holland. I shall very soon sett aside some duplicates of books and naturall things for you in the mean time believe me,

Your most obedt and most humble servt,

HANS SLOANE.

I It was in this very year that M. Tournefort returned to France; but the full account of his voyage did not appear till a considerable time subsequently. The first volume is said to have been published in his life time the second certainly not till 1717, nine years after his death, which was premature, having been occasioned from a contusion in his breast, originating in an injury received by a blow from a carriage, an end like that of Morison :-see Note p. 34.