Title:
Albrecht von Haller to Carl Linnaeus
Type:
Image
Licence:
Contact [email protected]
Repository:
The Linnean Society of London
Collection:
Linnaean Correspondence
Reference number:
LC/6/74
Archival level:
Item
Date:
24 May 1737
Placement:
Volume 6: 151-152
Extent:
151-152
Language:
la
Description:
Albrecht von Haller will send two species of Globularia, a specimen of Aphyllanthes and two hundred Alpine plants. He wants Linnaeus to persuade his bookseller to take on about 100 copies of De methodico studio botanices absque praeceptore, so that the work will become more known. This summer Haller might publish a history of the Diangiae, as a specimen of his “Synopsis”, or at least the history of Pedicularis or Saxifraga. Haller finds the Salices difficult to deal with. Those in Caspar Bauhin’s herbarium have all perished. The Alpine ones are numerous but easy. Bauhin is not useful for mosses. In Clathroides Michelianus Haller has examined the elegant structure. Haller has seen the seeds of Marchantia, Hepatica, Lunularia, Marsilea and Muscoides. Their flowers seem to consist of innumerable minute apices. In Equisetum he has seen four-legged spermatic bodies agitated by a spontaneous, elastic motion. Haller has described his journey to the Alps in 1731, in Tempe Helvetica l, sect. 4. Haller is grateful for Johannes Burman’s book. He is missing Fabio Colonna, the two Floras of Holland and Andrea Cesalpino. Haller will soon undertake his Hercynian journey. He is aware of the affinity of Papaver. These are almost Tetrapetalae but are Polystemones as regards flower and the deciduos calyx. Mirabilis and the following ones are Pentastemones, Monopetalae, etc. Haller is not content with the Bacciferae and thinks of striking them, as he did with the Unisiliquae. He wonders if Linnaeus approves of Sébastien Vaillant’s distinction of genera between Filago and Elichryzum, between Hieracium and Hieracioides, Rhaponticum, Rhaponticoides and Jacea and between the class of the Cinarocephalae and Discoideae. Haller wonders why the names in -oides displease Linnaeus. Why cannot a Lychnis triangia be called Lychnoidea? Haller has got Giovanni Giacobbe Zannichelli, De Hyppocastano, Venice 1733, consisting of two leaves and one plate. The authors who treat the herbarium are Simon Paulli, Johann Hieronymus Kniphof, Johann Balthasar Erhard, Johann Daniel Geier in Thargelus, Apollini sacer. Haller is not acquainted with Myriophyllum pelagicum (Lecluse). Zannichelli contains some new illustrations, but not faithful ones. The descriptions are bad. There is nothing new except a species of Ketmia palustris, etc.
Sender:
Haller, Albrecht von
Recipient:
Linnaeus, Carl
Sent to location:
[Amsterdam, Netherlands]
Transcription:
Viro Celeberrimo, D[omino] D[octori] Carolo Linnaeo, S[alutem] p[lurimam] d[icit] Alb[ertus] Haller. Recte mihi Tuae redditae sunt. Chatelain sine dubio Tibi Programmata dedit. Non globulariae solum duas species atque aphyllanthis exemplar qualecunque, sed duas, opinor, stirpium Alpinarum centurias mittam Francofurtum, unde eas repetere poteris. Tua autem juxta ultimos nuncios non pervenerunt Francofurtum. Possesne Bibliopolam persuadere, ut aliqua commutationis aequa lege centum circiter Programmatis exemplaria adquireret? Sic et notiora fient et ego abundo. Diangiarum forte hac aestate edam historiam synopseos specimen aut saltem pedicularis vel saxifragiae [sic] solius. Gratissima erunt Tua omnia. Salices difficile est expedire, inprimis vulgares. In herbario vivo C[aspari] B[auhini] nullas vidi; perierunt. Alpinae multae sunt, sed faciles. De Muscis parum subpetit. In Clathroide Micheliano vidi elegantem structuram. Capsula est ut in muscis operculata. Delabitur operculum, prodit spirale filamentum purpureum, flavum, &c. spargens massulas spermaticas, purpureas, anulo similes perforato; similis structura Muscorum quorumdam. Sed flores mihi non satis cogniti sunt, cum Pinax omne fere mihi ocium auferat. Semina Marchantiae, Hepaticae, Lunulariae, Marsilearum, Muscoidum pluries et certo vidi. Videntur harum plantarum flores mere apicibus constare innumeris minimis. In equiseto pulchre vidi spermatis particulas quadrierum motu spontaneo, elastico agitatas. Sed quid Tu de equiseti seminibus? Pro horto meo Cliffortii liberalitatem gratus admitto Tibique me devinctum adgnosco. Consevi aliquot Heisterianas plantas in horto alieno. De plantis Alpinis nihil edidi nisi descriptionem itineris Alpini 1731 suscepti in quodam periodico opere Tempe Helvetica dicto, Tom. 1, sect. IV. De Burmanno gratum est, quod curas. Delector autem maxime operibus ad Synopsin meam spectantibus. Si quaedam deficientium parare posses, faceres eximie. Nummos curabo. Reddat D[ominus] Reuss, Soceri mei, ut vocant, correspondens. Deficit v[erbi] g[ratia] Columna, quem vel 40 fl[orenis] redimam. Deficit flora Batava utraque, Caesalpinus, etc. Quae de institutis Royeni, Burmanni, Randii, Milleri, Martynii mones non placent. Id si egerint omnes, peribit Botanica. Tu vero macte virtute neque inimicos cura! Quodcunque in nobis erit virium, id in adjuvando Tuo laudabili instituto consumemus. Instat iter Hercynicum. Ibi et Mineralia Tibi legam. Intelligo Papaveris, &c. adfinitatem. Sunt tetrapetalae fere, polystemones flore & calyce caduco. Mirabilis et seq[uentes] pentastemones, monopetalae, &c. Non placent Bacciferae. Puto eas me expuncturum uti expunxi Unisiliquas. Ain Tu? Probasne apud Vaill[antium] differentias generum filaginis ab Elichryzo, hieracij ab hieracioide, Rhapontici, Rhaponticoidis, jaceae, classis cinarocephalarum, a Discoideis? Cur adeo displicent -oides? Cur Rapunculum Diangium, lychnidem triangiam non licuerit dicere Rapunculoides, Lychnoidea? Zanichellum de hypocastano habeo, Venet[iis], 4, 1733, pl[agulis] 2, sc[alptura] 1. De herbariis vivis egit Simon Pauli, Kniphof proprio scripto, Ehrhard Memmingensis proprio scriptulo, Geyer in Thargelo Apollini sacro. Myriophyllum pelagicum mihi ignotum est. Planta est Clusiana. Zanichellium habeo minime dignum opus suo nitore. Continet icones novas, sed haud probas, descriptiones malas, nova nulla, nisi forte Ketmiae palustris speciem, stirpes in universum paucas, Lichenes V, Fungos tres, &c. Adduntur vires medicae ex aliis. Vale et fave! Nihil enim habeo novi aut egregii. Die 24 maj[i] 1737. [address] A Monsieur / Monsieur Charles Linnaeus celebre / Botaniste chez Monsieur George Cliffort / A Amsterdam
Previous reference number:
L0170
Condition note:
bad folds, seal tear
