| Description | A folio manuscript book with the first leaf bearing the following inscription: "John Ellis his book Oct 1. 1723", followed by about ninety pages containing his progressive studies in Arithmetic from Vulgar Fractions to Quadratic Equations, etc.. In the year 1759, Ellis began to use this book for his draft letters and scientific memoranda, beginning at the other end of the book. Previously referred to as "notebook no 2".
1r. [Note on preserving acorns.]
1v. [Blank.]
2r & v. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 23 Jan 1759. Printed from the original letter by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p 114.]
3r. [Draft letter to Thomas Fitzhugh, 'aboard the Edgcote Capt. Pierce for China'. Dated 29 Jan 1759. On preserving seeds; and asking him to send in Tallow in a china vessel. Not printed by Smith.]
3v-15r. Fuci, Ulvae, and Tremellae dicti. [Classification with a few sketches. Some of the collectors or discoverers are mentioned.]
15v. The manner in which the flies are taken in the Apocynum, July 21 1759. [With drawings.]
16r. [Later transcripts, in another hand, of part of the foregoing page.] v. [Blanc.]
17r. Feb 2 1759 Wrote to Governor Ellis p. N York [New York] pacquet to draw on me for the future.
17r & v. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dates 2 March 1759. Original letter printed by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p120.]
18r & v. [Draft letter to Dr A. Garden, Charlestown, South Carolina, dated 25 March 1759. Printed from this draft by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p438.]
19r & v. [Draft letter to Governor Henry Ellis, dated 10 March, 1759. Not printed by Smith.]
19v. March 25, 1759. Wrote to Mr Clifton to send me some small Magnolia plants in a box. April 5, 1759. Observations from Mr Williamson of Carolina [that the bruised roots of the scarlet horse chestnut are a fish poison; that the roots of the Carolina poplar are so spongy that corks for bottles are made from them.]
20 r & v. [Draft letter to Dr A Garden being postscript to a letter dated 25 March 1759. [Printed by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p 441, from this draft.]
20 v. [Draft letter to Governor Henry Ellis, dated 25 March 1759. Not printed by Smith.]
21 r. Sal ammoniac is made from the soot of the burnt dung of 4 footed animals that feed only on vegetables. [Draft of a paper read to the Royal Society on 31 Jan 1760.]
21 v. From Mr Wolfe. [Short note on making green & blue inks.] Mr Pope's receipt for cement for his grotto at Twickenham as given him by Dr Steph Hales. [Receipt for glue.] [Another receipt. On this page is a pencil sketch of a green house.]
22 r & v. Some hints for the better preserving curious seeds during long voyages.
23 r. June 20 1759. Seeds of plants from Jamaica Vide Brones N History.
23 r & v. [Notes on preserving seeds.] [A drawing of an insect on this page.] [Here a leaf has been cut out.]
24 r. London 26 June 1759. Mr Usher is desired to write to his brothers in Philadelphia and Virginia for the following curious things for Mr Romilly. [Humming birds, beetles & other insects, snakes, lizards, turtles, fossils.]
24 v. To kill Buggs-from Mr P. Woulfe, June 1766.
25 r. [Good pencil drawings of the Sweet Flowering Bay.]
25 v. [Blank.]
26 r. [Good pencil drawing of White sweet-scented Nerium.]
26 v. [Blank.]
27 r & v. Sent Mr Thos Fludyer the following list of seeds to be got in Lisbon. 21 Aug 1759. Wrote to Mr Sarjant of Perth Amboy by the Jupiter John Bull for New York for the following seeds...
27v & 28r. [Draft letter to Dr A Garden dated 25 August 1759. Printed from this draft by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p459.]
29r. [Draft letter to the Hon Henry Talbot near Dorking, Surrey. 25 Aug 1759. Not printed by Smith. Asking for information on the manner of preserving lemons sound from England to Batavia.]
29v. [Draft letter to Thomas Knowlton, dated 20 Nov 1759. Not printed by Smith. About the fir oak, with a pen drawing. Mentions "being much in the country in Surry and Sussex this Summer".]
30r. London 22 November 1759.
30v-31v. [Draft letter to Lord Macclesfield, dated Dec 1759, on preserving seeds. ]
32v. [Draft letter to Dr John Young, Monsterrat, per Capt. Theobald Butler, dated 10 Jan, 1760. Not printed by Smith.]
32v. [Draft letter to Pickering Robinson, "going to settle in Georgia", dated 12 Jan, 1760. Not printed by Smith. Gives him a list of seeds to collect 2as will be of most use to Gentlemen here".]
33r. [6 Feb 1760. A method to preserve small seeds that are to be brought from China or other Long Voyages...[receipt from stuffing birds.]
33v. [Condensed draft of letter to Dr. A. Garden, dated 13 June 1760. Printed from this by Smith in Corresp. Linn, p493.]
34r. [Condensed draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 13 June 1760. Printed, in full from the original, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p129.]
34r & v. [Draft letter to Governor Henry Ellis, dated 30 June 1760. Not printed by Smith.]
35r-36 v. [Draft letter to Peter Woulfe, Guadeloupe, undated, and marked "This letter not sent." The reason seems to be contained in the first paragraph, where Ellis expresses to his friend his personal feelings of annoyance.]
37 r. [Condensed draft of letter to Dr Alex Garden, dated 12 Nov, 1760. Printed from this by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p500.]
37r. [Draft letter to Pickering Robinson, dated 20 Nov, 1760. Not printed by Smith. Will send his order for seeds to James Gordon. Hope the vine cuttings will do well.]
37 v. from Ningpo in China ltd, near 30 degs N preserved by Mr Fitzhugh, London 12 Dec, 1760.
37v-38r. [Draft to Linnaeus, undated, but between 12 Dec 1760 and 8 Aprill 1761.Printed by Smith from the original letter, as without a date, in Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p137. The draft differs somewhat from the pronted version.]
38v-39r. [Draft letter to Dr A. Garden, dated 8 April 1761. Printed from this draft by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p506.
39r. Extract from a letter from Carl Linnaeus dated 3 April 1761 to JE. Translated from the Latin.
39v-40r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated July 1761. Printed by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p142, with date 2 June 1761.]
40r. Wrote to Mr Sam Sarjeant at Perth Amboy advising the rest of his two boxes of plants and begging him to send me early in winter another box with azaleas and kalmias and any seeds he picks up.
40v-41r. [Draft letter, apparently to Linnaeus, without date but probably drafted in October or November 1762, but perhaps discarded for the letter sent to Linnaeus on 21 Dec 1762. Not printed by Smith.]
42r. [Draft letter to Dr William Brownrigg, dated 11 Feb 1764. Not printed by Smith.]
42v. [Draft letter to the Rev William Borlase, dated 12 Feb 1764. Not printed by Smith.]
43r. [Draft letter to Rev W. Sealy, dated 12 Feb 1764, not printed by Smith.]
43v. Of the manner of Dyeing Scarlett in China with the seeds of the single flowering Gardenia.
44r. [Draft letter to the Rev William Borlase, dated 3 March 1764. Not printed by Smith.]
44v-45r. [Draft letter to Thomas Fitzhugh, Canton, China, dated 28 Nov 1764, but cancelled in pencil for another draft on fol 45v of the same date.
45r-46r. [Draft letter to Thomas Fitzhugh, Canton, China, dated 28 Nov 1764. Not printed by Smith.]
46v. 1765 March 13. Wrote to Wm Gerh'd De Brahm to collect seeds specimens etc. while he was on his Survey of the Southern provinces of North America.
Wrote to Js. Habersham Esqr. at Savannah in Georgia to collect some specimens of the common wild plants and send them directed to me at the Carolina Coffee house inclosed in this letter one from Govr. Ellis from Naples.
46v-47r. [Remarks on preserving seeds.]
47v-48r. To the Royal Society, 5 June 1766 [Draft paper on the Siren.]
48v-49r. [Draft paper on Coluber Cerastes.] [Draft of paper on Chinese Vetches.]
49r-50r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus dated 2 June 1767. Printed from original letter by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p197, with 29 May as date.]
50r-50v. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 5 June 1767. Printed by Smith from original letter, in Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p203.]
50v-51r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 3 July 1767. Printed from the original by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p206.]
51r. [Draft letter to Dr David Skene, Aberdeen, dated 11 Jul 1767. Not printed by Smith.]
51v. July 17. Wrote to Dr Garden and sent him Linnaeus Amoenitates and 2 specimens each of the Siren and Ceraster desiring him once more to remember a specimen of the male Cochineal fly. [Not printed by Smith.]
51v-52r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 26 August 1767. Printed, from the original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p210.]
52r. [Draft to Linnaeus, dated 8 Sept 1767. Printed from the original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p213.]
52v. Oct 16, 1767. Wrote to Doctor J. Albert Schlosser about Dr Pallas mistakes Linnaeus seedsof his fungi & antipathes.
52v-53v. Oct 24 1767. Thermometer 65 at noon to 60 even. Gathered 2 fungi one of the agaricus fimetarius & a large one of the agaricus integer.
54r & v. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 30 Oct 1767. Printed, from thr original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p216.]
55r. Continuation of observations on the seeds of mushrooms.
55v & 57r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 15 Jan 1768. Printed from original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p222.]
56r & v. [Draft letter to (?) without date. May have been intended as part of a paper.]
57v. Wrote to Dr Garden, 9 Feb 1768.
57v. [Condensed draft letter to Dr Alex Garden, dated 9 Feb 1768. Printed from this draft by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p561.]
57v. [Microscopical experiments with two marginal sketches.]
58r. [Draft letter to Dr J. A. Schlosser, dated 26 February 1768. Not printed by Smith.]
58r. [Microscopical experiment.]
58v. 20 Feb 1767. Experiment wit acorns.
59r. Many attempts many [sic] have been made to bring over tea seeds from China [About tea seeds send by Thomas Fitzhugh form China.]
59v. [Condensed draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 15 March 1768. Letter printed, in full from original, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p227.]
59v. Microscopical experiments, with marginal drawings:
- March 14. Put some yeast of beer in a bottle to otrefy examined it and saw the globules of malt, but inactive.
- March 23. Put veal in water to putrefy.
- March 25. Animalcules in water where Stock July flower [Cheiranthus] has been infused from last november [of sketch:] fixt by the tail & shake to & fro. These animal[s] turn round and swimlike the Beroc the[y] fix by their tails and tremble.
- March 26. Millions of minute tadpole shaped animals eating the green tobacco leaf put into river water a month ago, but now dissolved.
26. Boild [boiled] a turnip and out the water it was boild [boiled] in with it into a glass and mashd [mashed] it.
26. Examined Mr Whatleys whear which has lain in water from Christmas last.
31. The animals in turnip begin to appear.
60r. March 26 1768. Answered Dr D Skenes letter of the 16 of March from Aberdeen about the Corallines of Pallas Munchausen experiments and my experiments on the potatoes and animal substances.
60r & v. [Draft letter to Dr Henry Quin, Dublin, undated, but between 26 March & 2 April 1768. Not printed by Smith.]
60v-61 r. Microscopical experiments with marginal sketches:
- April 2. [Animalcules in veal water.]
- 4. This day some screw animals appear in the veal infusion.
- 2. [Turnip infusion]
- 5. In the wheat infusion.
- 5. The screw shaped animals encrease in the veal and other fish like fish like insects appear.
- 5. No motion in the turnip liquor. The animalcules in the boild [boiled] potatoe [potato] grow large.
- 6. Put some scraped horseradish root into water to putrefy. [& so on, other experiments on April 9, 11, 25, 26, & 29]
61v. [Draft letter to Dr A. Garden, dated 6 May 1768. Printed by Smith from this draft in Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p563, but with the date 10 May, which is wrong.]
62r to 64r.[Microscopical experiments with marginal sketches.]
64v. [Draft letter to John Blommart, Pensacola, West Florida, dated 14 July 1768. Not printed by Smith.]
65r. [Draft letter to Dr A Garden, dated 14 July 1768. Printed from this draft by Smith, Corresp. Linn. vol 1, p567.]
65v-66r. [Draft letter to John Greg, FRS, dated 14 July 1768. Not printed by Smith.]
66r. [Microscopical experiments, with marginal drawings.]
66v. [Draft letter to Dr John Hope, dated 28 July 1768. Not printed by Smith.]
67r. [Draft letter to Dr J. Badenach, dated 28 July 1768. Not printed by Smith.]
67r. [Note of letter sent to Dr David Kene.]
67v. Sr Charles Knowles rect for preserving beef & pork sweet for a voyage around the world-communicated to Man Godshall for Dr Solander, etc.
67v-68r. [Microscopical experiments, with marginal skethces.]
68v-69r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 19 August 1768. Printed from the original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p229.]
69v. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 23 Sept 1768. Not printed by Smith, but is probably the first draft of the text of his pamphlet on Dinaea.
70r. [Blank.]
70v-71r. [Microscopical experiments, with marginal drawings.]
71v. [Draft letter to the Duchess of Norfolk, dated 11 October 1768. Printed by Smith, Corresp, Linn, 2, PP71-73.]
72v-73r. Oct 11 in the basil water.
73v-74r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 1 November 1768. Printed from the original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p236.]
74r. Nov 8. Wrote to Dr Hope and sent him some dried tea flowers.
74r-75. [Draft letter to Dr David Skene, Aberdeen, dated 12 November 1768. Not printed by Smith.]
76r. [Microscopical experiments, with marginal sketches.]
76v-77r. A copy of the speech of James Burrow Esq, President of the Royal Society on delivering Sir Godfrey Copley's gold medal.
77v. [Draft letter to Monsieur Duhamel du Monceau, intendt. de Marine de France, 14 Feb 1769. Not printed by Smith.]
78r. May 18 1769. Wrote Mr Wolfe to Monr. Duhamel du Monceau to thank him for the offer of his Book on Fruits of France.
78r. [Microscopical experiments, with marginal sketches.]
78v. [Draft letter to the Duchess of Norfolk, dated 7 August 1769. Printed from this draft by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 2, p74.]
79r. [Draft letter to George Young, "principal surgeon to the hospital at St Vincents", dated 24 August 1769. Not printed by Smith.]
79v. [Microscopical experiments, with marginal sketches.]
80r-81r. [Draft letter to Rev Wm. Hirst "Chaplain to Govr. Vansittart going Supervisor to the East Indies", dated 15 September 1769. Not printed by Smith.]
81v. Note on the paper in the Transns on salt in hempseed [? Unpublished]
82r. [Microscopical experiments, with maginal sketches.]
82v-83v. [Notes on preserving seeds.]
84r & v. Some general rules to be observed in the management of pine apples [pineapple] -from J. Greening Esqr.
85r-89r. Some hints to Capts. of East India surgeons and others who bring seeds from abroad.
89v. [Blank.]
90r & v. [Draft letter to Lord Hillsborough, dated 16 Nov 1769. Not printed by Smith.]
90v. [Part of a draft letter to Lord Northington, dated 17 Nov 1769. Not printed by Smith.]
91r. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 27 November 1769. Printed, from the original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p241.]
91v. [Draft letter to Dr David MacBride. Not printed by Smith.]
92r & v. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, dated 16 Jan 1770. Printed, from the original letter, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p245.]
92v. [Draft letter to Dr A Garden, dated 26 Jan, 1770. Printed, from this draft by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1,p570.]
93r. [Draft to Capt Thomas Davis, Royal Artillery, Shooters Hill, dated 27 Feb, 1770. Not printed by Smith.]
93r-94r. [Copy of letter from Capt Thos Davies, dated 15 March 1770, on his methods of stuffing animals.]
94v-95r. [Microscopical experiments, with marginal sketches.]
95v. [Draft letter to (?) undated regarding microscopical experiments.]
96r. [Blank.]
96v. Illicium Floridanum starry aniseed from Florida. [Description in English.]
97r & v. The following account of the starry aniseed tree [Draft for paper in Phil. Trans, vol 60, p524-531.]
98r-98v. [Draft letter to Mr Aiton, undated. Part of the paper in Phil. Trans, vol 60, cf.97r & v.]
99r. I shall take this opportunity to correct an error in Linnaeus & Miller [Draft of paperon the Loblolly Bay, Phil, Trans, vol 60, p518-523.]
99v. [Draft letter to Linnaeus, undated, on the Loblolly Bay.]
100r. Characters of the Gordonia [Part of Phil. Trans.Paper.]
1001v-101r. [Draft letter to Dr David Skene, dated 26 December. Not printed by Smith.]
101v. December 28, 1770. Wrote to Doctor Linnaeus and sent him the characters of the Illicium & Gordonia. [Cf. 99v. Draft letter to Linnaeus. Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p252, printed the letter of 28 Dec 1770, which is not that one drafted on f.99v.]
101v-102vr. [Draft letter to A Garden, dated 2 Jan 1771. Printed from this draft, by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 1, p582.]
102r. [Draft letter to Governor Tryon, New York, dated 2 Jan 1771. Not printed by Smith.]
102v-103r. A catalogue of such trees and shrubs as are most proper to be planted in the natural ground in a conservatory the glasses of which are to be taken off as soon as the frosts are over about the latter end of May and put on the beginning of October.
[List: Latin and English names.]
103r. Perrenial [sic] herbaceous flowers. [Short list: Latin and English.]
103v. The following plants are proper for climbing up the posts that support the conservatory and some of them to be planted against the back wall to make it look green all winter. [List: Latin and English.]
104r. Shrubs and bulbous rooted flowers that require some heat to bring them forward to be placed in pots to ornament the conservatory. [List: Latin and English.]
104v. [Part of darft letter to Linnaeus, dated 7 May 1771. The original letter printed by Smith, Corresp. Linn, with date 10 May, in which this part differs from the draft.]
104v. [Part of Phil. Trans. Paper.]
105r-106v. [Phil. Trans.Paper & continuation of f.104v.]
107r. 1771 July 16. Writing to Linnaeus and Dr Joseph Allen.
107r & c. [Drawing of conservatory] A method of introducting fresh warm air into stoves in the depth of winter when it would be improper to open the windows or lower the glasses [diagrams.]
108r-109r. [Draft letter to James Gordon, the famous plant-raiser of Mile End, dated 29 Jan 1772. With two leaves giving sketches of "stoves". Not printed by Smith. Of horticultural interest from an historical standpoint.]
109v-110r. [Draft letter to Governor Tryon, dated 14 February 1772. Not printed by Smith.]
110v-111r. Remarks on mould or mucor and on the animalia infusoria or such animals as arise from vegetables put into water to putrefy.
[Unpulished paper. The Phil. Trans. Paper on manner of increase in Animacula of vegetable infusions, was read in 1769 & printed in 1770.]
111v. [Blank.]
112r. February 8 1772. Wrote to Mr J Ellis of Jamaica by Mr Pulteney going there relating to the new trumpet flower & the cordia sebestina and also about the lagetto bark tree-answd. his letter 25 July 1771 and sent him a figure of the new invented bellows for destroying insects p.smoke of tobacco. Wrote to Samll Kukaha.
112r. Dr Hales
112r & v. A method of introducing a circulation of fresh air and sending out the putrid steams that arise in stoves and greenhouses.
112v. [Receipt to find out whether lead is in any wine.]
113r. [Notes and sketched re the pith of geranium branches.]
113v. [Note on phosphorescent spar (in re acta Royal Society Stockholm)]
113v. [Draft letter to Dr Maty (Secretary, Royal Society).]
114r-117r. Some further observations on the preservation of seeds and plants in a vegetating state...
117v-118r. A catalogue of Plans in the Publick Garden at St. Vincent.
118v. 1773, April 29. Received 10 of the additional obsers with 10 of the directions bound together 10 of the additional sent to the Doctor. Fothergill besides the above.
119r. May 3.Delivered 10 books of corallines on Messrs Boyer & Nicols in sheet.
119r. 1773 April 19. Received 10 of the additional obsers. with 6 of the directions bound together.
119r. Hampstead, September 5, 177. Details of experiment.
119v. [Blank.]
120r. [Blank.]
120v. [Blank.]
121r & v. "An approved method to prevent blight from infesting fruit trees".
121v. [Draft letter to Henry Archdall. In the hand of an amanuensis; JE's draft is on 122r. Acknowledging £100 in bills as his salary from the Linen Board.]
122r. [In another hand] Answered Mr Roger Ford's letter dated January 17-26th.]
122v. [Draft letter to Mr Foster, 30 April 1776, by another hand.]
123r. [In another hand: copy of Dr Solander's letter, dated 4 May 1776, on the bread fruit. Printed by Smith, Corresp. Linn, vol 2, p24, from the original letter.]
123v. [Draft letter to Dr Joseph Allen, undated, but about April or May 1776, because Dr Allen, who lived at Dulwich College, replied on 7 May. This letter was loose at the beginning of the MS.] |