CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 159 



and found that in the daytime they put no fire into 

 their furnaces, and that in the night they not only put in 

 some fire, but cover the windows where they stand with 

 pitched canvas, taking this off and opening them as much 

 as the air or wind permits. There is now in flower the Se- 

 dum arbor esc. [Sempervivum arbor eum, Linn.] This is the 

 fourth year of its age ; it is in a pot, and has continued 

 flowering for this four months, and is very pleasant. Mr. 

 Watts expects to have Aloe this year in flower, it being 

 already set for it. He has several myrtles not described, 

 a fine amaranthus, of a crimson colour, which comes from 

 the East Indies, and some fine Cyclamini. When I shah 1 

 have the happiness to peruse what you have, or are a 

 writingpen any of the tribes, if I shall have observed 

 anything concerning them not mentioned therein, I shall 

 not fail to give you an account. 



There is a vast number of East and West India seeds 

 come over this year ; among the rest, great store of Pimm 

 arbor escens, all the sorts of the Abrus, Tea, &c. Of all 

 which there are great expectations, and as they come to 



perfection you may expect from me an account of them. 



* * * * 



London, Dec. 20, 1684. 



Dr. HANS SLOANE to Mr. RAY. 



g IR> I should be of the mind, that to supersede the 

 use of botanic authors, and make your history everyway 

 complete, it would be necessary to mention all the varie- 

 ties of the Harts-tongues, for instance, to be found in any 

 catalogue or garden ; and so of all other herbs ; for it 

 will much please the humours of men, and the possessors 

 or admirers of such varieties may take it ill to have what 

 they esteem so much left out. Therefore, if at the end of 

 each species there were named all the variations, I think 

 it would not be amiss, especially considering it would 



