Letter, 'Catalogue of plants in Suabia' from Balthasar Erhardt to Cromwell Mortimer

Description

Also mentions the opportunity for passage to North America. Paper slip states 'Catalogue of fossils to be copied'.

'An opportunity offering by Travellers for England, who intend to settle in the new Colony of Georgia in the Northern America, among whom is M. Meyer, a young Man, a dear friend of mine, a Surgeon well skilled in his profession, to which he has been trained up under the care of those he is descended of. I could not forbear sending you some curiosities for a present, and recommending my friend to you at the same time. A longing desire to serve the English Plantations, makes him leave his native Town, his friends, an easy family, and many other advantages. I heartily wish him a safe passage in company of so many other new Planters, who are all dear to me. He has formerly lived a good while at Copenhagen, and I hope he will soon make himself master of the English Tongue. In the succour of that Nation, we here in Germany have placed our hopes, next to God Almighty, as we now live under a dangerous Interregnum, threatened with an intestine War from the Papists.
But I come now to the Fossils, which herewith are explained: 1. 2. 3. etc.
Some Gentlemen give us hopes of a Natural History of Suabia; they are Mr Gesner Physician of the Court at Stutgard; Mr Weisensee Provost Minister at Denckendorf; M Gmelin apothecary at Tubinuen; M. Maier Minister at Reinertsau near the Black Forest; M. Mohr Physician at Gienguen. Suabia far exceeds Switserland as to the curiosity and variety of Petrefactions.
I herewith also send to you a Catalogue of Plants found in this neighbourhood; it may serve as a Specimen of a 'Botanica Topographica-comparativa Germanica', which I am preparing to publish. I also offer several such Herbals for the use of Beginners in Botany, each of which represents Five hundred Plants, for the price of one Guinea, besides the charge of being dilivered at London: part of which money shall be sent for the benefit of the new Planters in Georgia and Ebenezer.'

Read 27 May 1742,

Reference number

L&P/1/98

Earliest possible date

13 June 1741

Physical description

Ink on paper

Page extent

2 pages

Format

Manuscript