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of you to inform mee fuller of those unknown things mentioned herein, and to add the name, page, &c. of the author if mentioned by any, or else to give them such a latin name as you have done for the fungi, which may bee descriptive and differencing of them-Sir I hope the public interest and your own good genius will plead the pardon desired by Your humble Servant

London, Aug. 29. 68.

For Dr. Browne in Norwich.

CHR. MERRETT.

WORTHY SIR,

Dr. Merrett to Dr. Browne.

[SLOAN. MS. 1830. FOL. 1.]

My due thanks premised, I at present acquaint you that you have very well named the rutilus and expressed fully the cours to bee taken in the imposition of names, viz. the most obvious and most peculiar difference to the ey or any other sens. I am farther to say that the icon of the weazeling came not to my hands, pray be pleased to look amongst your papers perhaps it might bee laid by through some accident or other. I have the figures of your anas macrolophos, and of the mergi cristati, and of the pristis; that which came from Cornwall was of the gladius, the name of sword-fish beeing applyed to both of them by our nation. It seemeth by yours that the Norwich aspredo is not the cernua fluviatilis contrary to what Camden affirms, for the rutilus mentioned in mine to you differs toto cælo from the cernua. The difference of the elk's bill by you signified is remarkable to distinguish it from others of its own kind. The crackling teal seems to be the same which Dr. Charlton mentions in his Onomasticon under the name of the cracker, and shewing him their description hee acknowledged to bee the same; the clangula I know noe more of then reading hath informed mee; a willock I have seen brought from Greenland where they are said exceedingly to abound, but never thought either

2 The reply to this letter is at page 408.

of them was found in England, and having not taken sufficient notice of the later crave your description of both.

And now Sir, since my last only two things remarkable have come to my knowledge. The one was a cake of black amber one sixth of an inch thick and neer a palm each way. Mr. Boyle brought it to the R. Society to whom it was sent from the Sussex shore, hee had onely tryed it to its electricity and found it answer his expectation, farther tryals will bee made of it. The second is a small plant found on oystershells, which when fresh did perfectly represent the flours of hyacinthus botryoides, but that 't was somewhat longer and not so much sweld out towards its pedunculus, some of them are here inclosed. "Tis doubtless a sort of vesicaria, though much different from what you sent mee. Most of them are now shrunk and the sides constituting the cavity come together and appear onely a transparent husk. One thing more I had to add (but scarcely dare speak it out) that is if it would please you to let it be done without your charge and secondly if it might be done without your trouble, then I would beg of you to set some a work to procure mee some of those rare animals, &c. you have mentioned in your several letters, my intention therein is double, first to take their descriptions and to furnish our colledge with them as curiosities, all beeing lost by the fire. This is onely wished but must not bee proposed without the former limitations by

Your too much allready obliged friend and servant,
CHR. MERRETT.

8th May, 69.

I met this week with some persons of quality high Germans who lately saw your son and report all good things of him.

For Dr. Browne of Norwich.

[SLOAN. MS. 1895, FOL. 93.]

Concerning the Cortex Peruvianus, China-chiné, or
Quinana Peruve.

I am not fearfull of any bad effect from it nor have I observed any that I could clearly derive from that as a true cause: it doth not so much good as I could wish or others expect,

but I can lay no harm unto its charge, and I have knowne it taken twenty times in the course of a quartan. In such agues, especially illegitimate ones, many have died though they have taken it, but far more who have not made use of it; and therefore, whatever bad conclusions such agues have, I cannot satisfy myselfe that they owe their evill unto such medicines but rather unto inward tumours-inflammations or atonie of partes contracted from the distemper. I pray my humble service unto all our honoured friends. I rest

Your faithful Friend and Servant

THOMAS BROWNE.

Dr. Edward Browne to his Father.

[FOL. 24.]

MOST HONOURED FATHER,

August 8, st. novo, Vienna.

I have received yours of July i, ii. Mr. Shottow continues my good friend in delivering your letters with care to the post at London. When I was at Zircknitz I asked what fish were in the lake, and desired the Richter or chief of the towne, to whose house I went, to prepare me a dinner of fish taken in the lake, it being Saturday. He tolde me divers Slavonian names of fishes, I could understande onely Sleûne and Aal, Dutch wordes for tenche and ele; and that the Prince of Eckenberg had not yet given him leave to fish in the lake; so as I coulde not taste of any. I borrowed lately, out of the emperours library, Reinerus Solenander de caloris fontium medicatorú causa eorumque temperatione, which I read out; also Gabriel Fallopius de medicatis aquis; out of both which authors Kircher hath taken many things, whose Mundus subterraneous I had also by me, which will be a delightfull booke to me when it shall please God to bringe me safe to Norwich. They have in the Danube crafish, which they call crebs; but they are not crabs. The arsenall I have not yet seen; this morning I received a letter from Captain Mackdugall from Prague, where he is still, somewhat better, he saith, at present, but I fear the worst,

for he hath harrassed his body this many years together, and been in all actions, and hard service, and at present is hydropicall; I am sorry to heare from him that the boy Hans hath left him, and is gone no man knoweth whither; what he hath carried away of mine I cannot yet learne; I am sorry for the boy, he being a fine, understanding, lively, boy, and would have done me service, especially in Bohemia. I brought him out of Hungaria: if my things miscarry, I cannot helpe it, having taken a probable way and care to sende them. I will, howsoever, set downe what I have already sent from hence, and which way; and first,

By the boy Hans Kummel

Bolus, found nigh to Schemnitz. Hungarian vitriole. Antimonium solis naturale. Nitrum, out of the bathes of Boden. Lythargyrum Terra Sigillata, such as I could get at Komara. Silver ore. Antimony ore. Stones from a quarry nigh Wien. Antimony, and these little tracts that I procured here. A description of the Seraglio, by Nicholas Brenner, now prisoner in the Seven Towers. A discourse of silence, in Dutch. The picture of the Great Agate, in the emperours Treasure. The pictures of Hitzing. The emperours Comedy at his marriage, in which I put those flowers, and the like, which I drew here; but they are worth nothing. A French manuscript, being a Panegyrique of women, very odde. Chronica Hungarica, and the voyage of Signr. Ludovice of Fiame, which he himselfe gave me leave to write out of his papers, he was sent with another, by the emperour, to learne the Turkish language, his companion being killed, he returned from Constantinople with Conte Lesley.

These following by Captain Makdugell to the

Royall Society.

From Baden. Sulphur, taken out of the pipes through which those thermæ are brought from their spring to the Dukes bath; the sulphur being taken of from the upper part, above, not below, the water.

2. Saltpeter, taken from the roofe of the cave through which the water first runs from the spring. 3. What I tooke of from the stones over the doore to the said cave.

From Mannersdorff. 4. The lapis Atheneus, or the sub

stance which sticketh to the coppers in the boyling of the hot-bath water at Mannersdorff, five Dutch meile from Vi

enna.

From Wien.

5. Stone salt from out of Poland, or sal gemmæ. 6. Stone salt, with lesser shootes or parts, being pointed, not tabular as the other out of Transylvania. 7. Purified Hungarian vitriole.

From Chremnitz.

8. Earth, out of which they make vitriole at Chremnitz. 9. Gold ore. And 10, antimony of gold, fine substance.

From Schemnitz, and nigh to it.

11. Amethysts and crystalls, as they are founde in the silver mine. 12. Silver ore, the largest piece from the Trinity mine. 13. Vitriolum nativum cristallised. 14. Cinnaber. 15. Bolus. 16. What I tooke out of the sweating bath at Glasshitten. 17. Alumen plumosum from Hodrytz. 18. Glass schlachen, a vitrified substance, to make lute of, to cover the glasse bodies in the separating furnaces. 19. That which groweth upon the wood in the bathes at Glasshitten. 20. The stone made of the bath water at Eisenbach. 21, 22, 23, 24. Four sorts of vitriole from Herrngrundt. 25. Iron turned into copper in the old siment or vitriolate water, 170 fathoms deepe in the coppermines at Herrngrundt. 26. Berggrüne out of the coppermine in Herrngrundt;—this is mentioned in Kircher. 27. A stone founde in the coppermines at Herrngrundt, thought to bee the mother of the Turquois. Copper ore from the same place; and antimony ore out of Transylvania.

These following in a little box, Sir, to yourselfe,

by the Captain.

1. 20 Roman coynes from Sine. 2. A thunderstone. 3. Iron turned into copper. 4. A stone made by the bath at Eisenbach. 5. stones from a quarrey by Freistat. 6. A stone from the sweating bath at Glasshitten. 7. An Indian bow-ring of Agat. 8. Mony coloured by the baths of Glasshitten. 9. A green bone from Herrngrundt. 10. Mony coloured at Baden. 11. Amethysts as they growe. 12. A peece of ore with a sparke of silver. 13. Little amethysts

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