Letter 0754

Preston is glad that Sloane got Charleton’s collection and has decided to keep it together. He had sent Sloane a Latin work in April and is worried it has not arrived. He sends some natural curiosities, books, and plant specimens, the latter of which are to be forwarded to Ray. Preston details the contents of the box of curiosities and books. Preston was a physician and botanist who established a lengthy correspondence with Sloane, exchanging plants, seeds, books and information. His main interest was in botany, and was well-known by his contemporaries for his botanical knowledge (Anita Guerrini, Preston, Charles (16601711), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/47084, accessed 18 June 2013]).