78 SOME AMERICAN MEDICAL BOTANISTS 



Lettsom and Moses Marshall seem to have 

 carried on a brisk correspondence, especially con- 

 cerning the Talinum teretifolium, hitherto un- 

 described by botanists. He sends Lettsom three 

 tortoises and some plants, one of which, a Poly- 

 gala, is thus mentioned in a letter: 



" Should this prove to be a new genus, I had 

 designed the appellation of Lettsomia, with this 

 provision, that it might not be unpleasing to thee, 

 and that, in the interim, I should not be able to 

 discover a plant more exalted, conspicuous and 

 worthy." He also asks for a " surgeon's pouch 

 of instruments " to be sent him, and Lettsom 

 hastens to acknowledge the compliment of a 

 floral godchild and encloses ten pounds in case 

 Moses should be out of pocket for seeds asked for. 

 A plant was also named after Moses, but many 

 authorities have claimed the Marshallia for his 

 uncle. Two letters of 1792 have recently come to 

 light which settle the question. Muhlenberg, the 

 correspondent, was himself a leading Philadel- 

 phia botanist: 



"Dear Sir: 



" I beg leave to inform you that the new edi- 

 tion of the Genera Linnaei is safely arrived. I 

 am happy to see that the editor, my friend Dr. 

 Schreber, has done w r hat I requested of him. He 

 has given your name to a hitherto undescribed 

 plant that belongs to the Syngenesia which he 



