150 PETER COLLINSON [1741-2. 



I must thank thee for thy dissertation on Whitfield. It has af- 

 forded some entertainment. He has, for some time, made no noise 

 here ; which I presume is on the account of a rich wife, he has 

 lately got, which may spoil his spiritual exercises. * 



It's now late ; and it is with much difficulty I have stole this 

 time, to assure thee that I am thy sincere friend, 



P. Collinson. 



London, March 3, 1741-2. 



Dear Fkiend John : 



By our good friend Captain "Wright, I have sent Sir Hans's 

 kind present, of his Natural History of Jamaica, in two volumes. 

 These I have put in a box, I had made on purpose for them, and 

 directed it on two places for thee ; and with it, I sent on board, in 

 a canvass wrapper, a large bundle of paper, a present from Doctor 

 Dillexius ; which, I think, will furnish thee with paper for speci- 

 mens, and for seeds, for thy lifetime. It is fine Dutch paper, and 

 very fit for such purposes, because it will bear ink. It is the 

 printing [paper] of his Hortus fflthamensis, a very curious work, 

 when the cuts are with it. 



I thank thee for the Pellitory of Spain seed ; the name Giron- 

 della was by mistake applied to it. I had only one root survived 

 the hard winter of 1739-40. The root is esteemed excellent for 

 the toothache, if from a cold humor : a little slice laid to the tooth, 

 will draw out the cold rheum. 



Amongst the many curious herbaceous seeds, there is the Collin- 

 sonia omitted, which I am solicited for, both at home and abroad, 

 and can't oblige my friends with ; for, though mine grows strong, 

 and flowers finely, yet our summers are not sufficient to bring its 

 seed to perfection. For this reason, thee must send all sorts of 

 herbaceous seeds over again, as they happen ripe in thy way : for 

 unless such plants as increase from the root, most others go off in 

 a year or two ; especially those beautiful small yellow-flowering Sun- 

 flowers, Obeliscothecas, or Chrysanthemums (all names nearly 

 synonymous), which are biennials, and flower, and then die ; and 

 by slipping, or laying, or any other art, I have not been able to 

 perannuate them : whereas the low, dwarf sort, with a size larger 

 flower, continues many years in the ground, and makes a fine show 

 all summer, with its yellow flowers with purplish brown bottoms. 



