94 President's Address. 



Thomas Watling, who was sent to Australia as a collector and 

 artist by James Lee, the greatest horticulturist of the time, 

 and a man of eminent position. He was a correspondent of 

 Linnaeus', and was a friend of the leading naturalists of his 

 time, acting as arbitrator in the dispute which arose between 

 Sydney Parkinson's brother and Sir Joseph Banks. (Cf. 

 Parkinson's Voyage.) 



Mr. James Lee, the ffreat grandson of the famous horticul- 

 turist, possesses several relics of his ancestor's time, among 

 them being a very interesting letter from Linnseus to the latter. 

 By his courtesy I have been permitted by Mr. Lee to publish 

 this hitherto unrecorded letter of Linnseus, which bears the 

 inscription ' Epistola Linnaei ad Leeum data, 1776/ 



The envelope is addressed as follows :— 



" Tho Mester James Lee fr ee Amsterd" 1 



Vineyard Hammersmith London." 



Vir amicisime ! 



Accepi litteras Tuas ultimas sed non accepi 

 responsum ad priores de Blackbumea, sed parum refert 

 qvum Forsteri genus Blackbumea longe certius sit. 



Aytonia Tua est absque controversia Species Cam- 

 panula, sed pra'fero genus Aytonia Thunbergii in Cap. 

 bon. spei, qvod quidem nondum vidi propriis oculis. 



Credis Banksii Herbarium esse maximum quod 

 ullus habet, ego vero vellem certare de meo quod hoc 

 esset duplo majus. 



Si habeas Leeam qvam ego a Tuo nomine dudum 

 dixi, qua so istam meium communica [re] . 



Doleo maxime statimi optimi Ellisii sed mea ipsa 

 fata me prius vocant. Vale, iterumq., Vale. 



Upsalia 1 776 



Novemb 1 ' . Carl Linné." 



[Translation.] 



Dear Friend, 



I received your last letter, but not the answer to the 

 former about Blackbumea ; however, it is of little con- 



