CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 299 



manes, Adiantum album and nigrum and ceterach. Her- 

 barists make ramose kinds of Phyllitis, Hemionitis, and 

 Lonchitis, and therefore the differences of these plants 

 must consist in the different figure and texture of the 

 leaves. I am not yet perfectly well, but, I thank God, 

 much better. I hope you are well, and pray for your 

 health, resting, 



Sir, 



Your very affectionate friend and humble servant, 



JOHN RAY. 



For Dr. Hans Sloane, 



at his house at the corner of Southampton street, 

 towards Bloomsbury square, London. 



Mr. RAY to Dr. HANS SLOANE. 



Black Notley, Aug. 5, 96. 



SIR, Your very friendly and obliging letter of July 

 21st came to my hands about a fortnight since. I give 

 you most hearty thanks for the kind offer of the use of 

 your papers of descriptions and observations of Jamaica 

 Plants ; as likewise of the sight of those dried plants 

 and memoirs about them you received from the Straits of 

 Magellan and the South Sea, and do accept of it. I 

 shall proceed gradually, beginning with the imperfect 

 tribes of Fuel, Fungi, and Musci; these I have already 

 finished as well as I am at present capable, contenting 

 myself with the names of some, and short descriptions of 

 others. I am now upon the capillary tribe, wherein in 

 my last I desired your assistance in reference to Dr. 

 Plukenet's catalogue of such as he hath had an account 

 of from Jamaica, for I was puzzled to reduce them ; and 

 could not but wonder how he could get such a number 

 not observed or mentioned by you. I fear there are 

 many mistakes in his work. A good number I have 

 observed in synonyms of such species as are known to 

 me, and I doubt not but there are many or more in such 

 as are unknown. He is a man of punctilio, a little con- 



