124 MEMOIli OF Dlt WRIGHT. 



gathered from authors who treat of the history of eastern 

 countries, or of Turkey ; but I shall make inquiry if any 

 books are extant expressly on these subjects. Does not Dak- 

 win give some hints ? I have not bought that eccentric work 

 the Zoonomia. By the bye, his Loves of the Plants is a mo- 

 dernized paraphrase of De la Croix's Connubia Florum ; 

 but he has disfigured his elegant poem, by the introduction of 

 notes on the politics of the day." 



In a letter about this period to his friend Dr 

 Garthshore, Dr Wright expresses himself as fol- 

 lows: 



" I am very happy to find you persevere in the practice 

 of cold affusion, and that your success continues to confirm 

 my experience. I have just received a letter from Dr James 

 Robertson, at Barbadoes, to whom I had sent Dr Currie's 

 book. He has adopted the practice to the full extent, and 

 concludes with observing, ' I have not had a single patient 

 ill of fever for a longer period than two or three days, since I 

 received Dr Currie's Reports. 1 



" I am sorry to say that Dr Currie has been ailing for 

 several months. He is able, however, tc attend to his lite- 

 rary pursuits ; and he tells me that you have made him some 

 valuable communications. He has been drawn in to prepare 

 an edition of Burn's Poems, with a prefatory discourse, in 

 which he is to treat of the effects of alcohol and opium on the 

 minds and morals of the people of Scotland. He requests 

 me to name such authors as have written best on these sub- 

 jects. Perhaps you can assist him ; I cannot. 



" We have made some progress with the Pharmacopoeia, 

 and have rejected a great number of simples, which we con- 

 sider useless or obsolete. When we come to the Formula?, I 



