460 CORRESPONDENCE OF RAY. 



\The following Letters of Mr. Bay, without date, are pre- 

 served in the Library of Sir Hans Sloane, and as it 

 is difficult to assign any particular period to their 

 authorship, L have inserted them in this place.'\ 



Mr. Ray to [Mr. Petiver?]. 



Sir, — I received yours of Feb. 3cl, mistaken, I suppose, 

 for March, but am but in bad condition to return answer. 

 I suppose Mr. Smith hath acquainted you how I am at 

 present. Yet since my last to him a sad accident hath 

 befallen me; part of the flesh of one of [my] insteps by 

 degrees blackening is come to putrefy and corrupt. I 

 suppose it is a beginning gangrene. 



I very much approve what you advise concerning the 

 addition of F. Plumier's Catalogue of American plants : 

 but I cannot vdthout great difficulty write to Dr. Hotton; 

 and should I write, I fear it would come too late. 



The heads of Rumphius's History I heard nothing of 

 from Dr. Sherard, which I much wonder at. 



The sending the Chusan plants you may please to 

 respite for the present, for I can do nothing now. I shall 

 add no more, but that I am. 



Sir, 

 Yours to serve you in what I can, 



John Ray. 



