Letter 4263

[fol. 227] Aprill 28 1731 Sir I am to return you thanks for your Favour of the 23 Feb. last, & for having paid unto Mr. Pucci five, & twenty pounds upon account of the Chinese Chronology, which you had been pleased to give out of your own pocket, in expectation they would be soon, and easily sold, by having distributed them to proper Persons, as I hope in time to find in effect, & am in the meantime in great expectation of the Phil. Transact. (you say the Society has orderd to be sent to me with some books, for which I entreat you to return my suitable thanks) whereas I have no further then No. 411, unto which time I am come up with an Essay that I am preparing for the Press to acquaint Italy with the lucubrations of your Society. I shall be very glad to receive also the Thermometers, whereas some curious experiments are intended to be thereby performed. As to the Museum Florentinum I have caused that Mr. Pucci be appointed to receive the subscriptions, & I hope you will be so kind as to promote with your Freinds so usefull, & valuable an undertaking since you have so kindly offerd your endeavours. I am sorry the parcell of Sig. Manfredi’s communications should have miscarried, butt the Merchants by whose conveiance the things are sent ought to be desired to be more carefull. When the Transact. shall come I shall be able to tell you Mons. Foucquets opinion of the account given, & if any thing shall be found wanting to be mended, you shall be acquainted since you are so generous as to offer it. Dr. Cirillo acquaints me from Naples that he intends to send to the Society a large Packet of his late Observations, & when he shall inform me with the name of the shipp, I shall acquaint you to recover it. Since I have not litterary news to impart you I take the liberty to enclose you a true account of a strange accident happned a month ago at Casena, which perplexes all philosophers, whereas there was no storm in the night that it happned, nor any thunder is known to do harm without noise, nor any ignis Fatuus able to do so much mischief, nor any ingredient that man can compose is able to burn to ashes in so small a time a body as that of six hours, wherefore nobody knows that to make of it, butt if any thing further be discoverd you shall have it from Sir Your most Obedient, & most humble servant Thomas Dereham [fol. 228] Your translation of Dr. Derham’s Astro Theology 2 copies, one long small box with a partition in it, at one end some pirausto [?], at ye other some bicadee [?] did not come to hand till June 17 1731. tho’ mention’d to be sent in yours of 27 August 1729. they had lain a long time in our Custom house & Nobody knew any thing of them.