CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 447 



bation is anything valuable. However, I should do 

 nothing more willingly than to serve and gratify you in 

 whatever lies in my power. I and mine are, 



Sir, 

 Your very much obliged and most humble servant, 



JOHN RAY. 



For his honoured friend, Dr. Hans Sloane, 



at his house at the corner of Southampton street, 

 towards Bloomsbury square, London. 



Mr. RAY to [Mr. PETIVER ?]. 



SIR, I received the parcel you sent by carrier, and 

 soon after your letter by post, for which I return you 

 many thanks. You have herein approved yourself to be 

 a person of great candour, and a public spirit, so freely 

 communicating whatever you have of rare and curious to 

 the promoting of any useful design or undertaking, as I 

 am in hopes this I am now entering upon may be, only T 

 fear that I shall never live to finish it ; indeed at present 

 I am in no good case to begin it. 



My design is in every tribe to put all our English 

 insects that I can discover or procure that belong to that 

 tribe in the first place by themselves ; then to subjoin all 

 such exotics belonging to that tribe which I can get a 

 sight or certain knowledge of ; the most part of which lie 

 in yours, Ur. Sloane's, arid Mr. Stonestreet's hands. 

 Whether I shall take in all described by Aldrovand, 

 Mouffet, and others, I am in some doubt, and incline to 

 the negative. This history of diurnal papilios I do not 

 intend now to proceed any further in. I published it 

 (if it be published) only as a specimen of the work. I 

 have no catalogue or methodical disposition of the several 

 tribes of insects already drawn up, nor do I intend to 

 draw up any of any tribe till I come in order to that 

 tribe from the beginning of the work, which will be the 



