Letter 1149

Preston received Sloane’s and Willoughby’s books. He has distributed them amongst his society and to Sibbald. Preston thanks Sloane and compliments his work. He encloses a proposal from Dr McKenzie to have his work printed and inquires after Mr Doody’s affairs. 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 1 June 2011]).