308 



THE DATES OF EEES S CYCLOPEDIA. 



The Cyclopaedia was issued in parts, two of which formed a 

 volume, at uncertain intervals ; and on the completion of the work 

 a set of title-pages was issued, bearing the date of the last, namely, 

 1819 for thirty-nine volumes of letterpress, and 1820 for five 

 volumes of plates. 



The botanical articles in Kees's Cyclopaedia were contributed by 

 Sir James Edward Smith, sparingly at first, but entirely from the 

 end of letter C to the completion of the work. The Rev. William 

 Wood, of Leeds, who had undertaken that portion, died suddenly 

 whilst engaged upon the article Cyperus, and thenceforward the 

 botany and botanical biographies are wholly Smith's, with the 

 exception of a few by the Rev. W. F. Drake. The more elaborate 

 articles are signed " S.," whilst the unsigned ones are those written 

 " without particular study, though as well (I trust) as a common 

 compiler would do them" (Smith, t;i //«.). In all, 3045 articles 

 were sent, including in that number fifty-seven biographies; of 

 these a fuller account will be found in Lady Smith's Life and 

 Correspondence of Sir J. E. Smith, i. 188-490. It is frequently of 

 great importance to know accurately the date of publication of the 

 systematic botany, where many new species are described, but 

 there is no clue in the book itself. 



I first tried to get a sight of the parts in their original covers as 

 issued, but in vain, for no answer came to my advertisement. I 

 then tried to compile the dates from the foot of each plate, but 

 was baffled from the fact that each series of plates was not issued in 

 conjunction with its letterpress, but in many cases the publication 

 extended over the whole period. The catalogues issued by the 

 booksellers ouly supplied me with the information as to the cost of 

 the whole, but no hint as to intermediate date. Next I wrote to 

 the publishers, Messrs. Longmans, but their reply was to the effect 

 that their books for the period were no longer extant. I next 

 searched the GentI email's Magazine, but the information was so 

 meagre as to be wholly insufficient. As a last resource I examined 

 the Monthly Literary Advertiser, and here I was able to get some 

 positive information. This serial was published on the 10th of 

 each month, or the 9th if the former date fell on Sunday. I have 

 quoted the date named in this periodical, so that in some cases 

 I may have attributed the date a month later than the actual fact. 

 In my article in the Journal, of Botany I was able to assign dates 

 to twenty-three parts, chiefly of the later ones. 



Three years later a few more items had come to light, which I 

 incorporated in a tabular statement, printed and issued in 1880, 

 but exhausted some years ago. As enquiries are still made of me 

 regarding it, I now re-issue it, thoroughly revised, and in this form 

 it represents all that I shall probably ever be able to ascertain 

 regarding the work. 



About four or five years ago I was informed that a set of the 

 Cyclopaedia was for sale in the original state, and I secured it for 

 a very insignificant sum. Absorbed in other work, the volumes 

 have lain till now unexplored, but I have within the last few days 

 examined them, and the list which follows is the result. 



