Letter 3203

Martyn informs Sloane that he may be elected President of the Botanical Society. He believes that Sloane’s acceptance of the post would contribute to the advancement of science. The Botanical Society is comprised of ‘obscure persons’ so far as Martyn is concerned. He wants to change that characterization by electing Sloane its President. The next meeting is on Monday and Martyn will make an appeal so long as Sloane approves. John Martyn (1699-1768) was a botanist. He became Professor of Botany at Cambridge, though he was absent most of the time. In 1730 he moved to Chelsea to have access to the Chelsea Physic Garden. Martyn published botanical works throughout his career (D. E. Allen, Martyn, John (16991768), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2012 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/18235, accessed 17 July 2013]).