Dr. Wood to Mr. Ray. ipr 



of this moft defirable Work 5 nor urge you how a- 

 greeable it would be to xht Botanic World ) but es- 

 pecially to your curious Countreymen $ neither need 

 I tell you, what without the leaft fufpicion of Flatte- 

 ry, I juftly may, that of all Men that ever were in 

 England^ you are without difpute allowed to be the 

 molt fit to perform fuch a Work. Pray therefore, 

 Sir, think on fome Expedient, by which we may be 

 enabled to reprint your Hiftory, and render it com- 

 pleat by the addition of the Cuts, and another review, 

 which will make it much more correct. I queftion not 

 but that I can procure at leaft eighteen Subfcriptions 

 in this poor Kingdom, for the promotion of fo advan- 

 tagious a Work : But if you find that this will not 

 quit Coft, if you printed only the fmall Icons of the 

 Plants, and their Names, in Quarto or Ofitavo , I am 

 confident you would highly oblige all that have the 

 leaft Ctiriofity to promote their knowledge in 'Bota- 

 nies. Sir, Dr. Wood , Dr. Mitchell and I have re* 

 folv'd to be as curious as our lcifures will permit , in 

 making a Colleftion of what Plants this Kingdom af- 

 fords : We have begun this Summer at Wexford^ 

 where we cafually met to drink the medicinal Waters, 

 and in the Month we ftaid there we made up a Cata- 

 logue of above z8o Plants, the which we have, and 

 defign to augment, as opporunity offers to any of us. 

 Sir, I hope you will pardon this trouble, &e. 



SIR, Kilkenny j Aug. ult. 1 6$6„ 



IN your Sy nop fit you queftion whether the Irijh in 

 drying their Dullysk^ do not add fome Alcaline 

 Salt? I have enquired, and can aflure you that they 

 add no kind of Salt, nor indeed any thing elie. They 

 onlyjpull it off the Rocks whereon it grows, and 

 fpread it on the Grafs in the warm Sun to dry, or ra- 

 ther on a loufy green Mantle (as my Friend adds, who 

 gave me this Relation, and has feen much of it dryed 

 and eaten in Kerry ^ and elfewhere) while drying; It 



Pp z fomedmes 



