Letter 1674

Preston details his correspondence with historians and naturalists, making note of their contributions to their fields. These include: Boerhaave, Professor of botany at Leiden; Vissole, Professor of botany at Montpellier; James Hamilton and Walter Potter, both having died in the previous years; Dr Alevirombie [?]; the Stuart family, whose genealogy is being traced; and one Mr Eavnitor [?]. Preston mentions a paper called ‘Mutton robonane’. 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]).