Letter received by Banks from James Edward Smith, 5 July 1787 (Series 72.159) - No. 0004

[Page 4]

to dedicate another plant to you, some plants I told him I hoped  it would be a new one.  He has quoted me wrong about Mimosa Arborea, & without my knowledge.  His Zappania is a very bad genus.   Can Columnea humilis be a Buchnera?  he did not know that Browne had described it.  I heard an excellent lecture from him on Grapes.  Scarpa appears to me the cleverest fellow at Pavia.  I am very busy ascertaining plants for the Marq:s [Marquis] Durazzo whose garden is very pretty & not ill furnished, my coming here again was solely to spend a little time with him, & see the botanical productions of this neighbourhood.  I shall spend a  month in Switzerland, but can scarcely hope to find any thing new.  Haller's Herbarium I saw at Pavia.  It would be difficult to use it to any purpose, as he put in all the plants w:ch [which] were sent him with the names right or wrong as he received them, so ye one knows not what to trust to, & there are no notes of his own.

I am most respectfully Yrs [yours]

J E Smith

S:r Joseph Banks Bar.t
Soho Square
London
Inghilterra.  [England]

fr. Smith

Aug.st  9 ---87.

--------16 ---