39
Has read Familles des plantes. Requests information on the movement in Equisetum spores,
called “poussière genitalle” by Adanson and believed by Fontana to be seeds, but he did not
understand what Adanson meant in his book, lacking plates to illustrate the point.
No annotations. Was filed with Adanson’s Mémoire sur le mouvement (AD 276).
AD 195 HALLER, [Albert von], Berne, 29 Dec. 1772. 1 p.
Announces sending of packet of plants and a memoir on a plant called Scopuline; mentions a
singular case of pregnancy; comments on the botanists Banks, Solander, Forster, and Rottböll;
will be glad to receive plants from Adanson as well as bibliographical indices, good catalogues,
even of Linnaeus.
Draft of Adanson’s reply, Paris 15 Mars 1773, is written on this page.
AD 196 HALLER, [Albert von], Berne, 26 Avril 1773. 1 p.
Sends a drawing of a monstrosity and of a tree. As he did not select the plants of the former
packet himself, some common plants may have slipped in. Some named by Adanson as
Ledum,
Pyrola umbellata,
Stratiotes, are not Swiss. Asks for an African
Aralia. Has no picture of the
singular pregnancy. Discusses a membrane of a horse, the object of controversy between Dem …
[illegible] and Decsemet is involved. His drawings are not present in this collection.
AD 197 IMBERT,____, Paris, 11 Juillet 1774. 2 pp.
Letter to Adanson on behalf of Cusson, of Montpellier, whose letter is cited at length. Cusson
hopes soon to offer seeds to Adanson and asks especially for seeds of Tournefort’s species of
Umbelliferae (Parsnip family) from the Levant and a loan of herbarium specimens of these. No
annotations except subject heading. Was filed with the Cusson letters (AD 185–187).
AD 198 JOYEUSE, [B.] l’ainé [“écrivain principal de la marine.”], Marseille, 6 Avril 1767. 4
pp.
Discusses certain points in Familles des plantes, especially corals, sap function, diseases, sowing
time; asks if a later edition has appeared.
Draft of reply is present.
AD 199 JOYEUSE, [B.] l’ainé, Marseille, 6 Juillet 1767. 3 pp.
Discusses invention for preserving fresh water on vessels at sea; hopes to interest the King’s
court in it. Promises to send a packet with wheat to Adanson. Will prepare memoir
for Adanson
on a wheat-damaging insect. Says he has established agricultural experiments at “Plattebandes,”
where alfalfa has been grown successfully. Asks what formalities are needed to become
correspondent of the Academy. (The number of correspondents was reduced to 100 since 1765.)
40
Annotated.
AD 200 JOYEUSE, [B.] l’ainé, Marseille, 11 Nov. 1768.
Sends Adanson a book, awarded a prize by the Academy of Limoges and previously judged
favorably by Adanson.
AD 201 JUSSIEU, [Antoine-Laurent de], [Paris, 4 Nov. 1779]. 1 p.
Reports that at the next meeting of the Academy a prize for botany will be proposed for the best
answer, if Adanson approves, on the question “L’ordre naturel existe-t-il dans les plantes?
Quelles sont les preuves de son existence, et les principes qui lui servent de base? Quelle seroit
l’utilité de sa découverte.” An explanation should be added as to what is meant by ordre naturel,
and by its differences from the artificial méthodes, and that there be included a concise survey of
other authors’ opinions on the subject, with a note on what the Academy wants. This question
may be useful to keep persons working on the natural order who are beginning to revert to
artificial “méthodes.” Says that he has written today to Duhamel and Fougeroux to invite their
approval of this proposal, noting that M. Guettard is absent, that M. de Lamarck approves, and
that M. Brisson is thought to approve also. If Adanson has another more interesting proposal, he
is asked to send it to his “confrères,” then “Dejussieu altera sa décision” (de Jussieu will alter his
decision) [both AD 201 and AD 202 are unsigned and written in the third person].
Annotated: “Repondu le vendredi 5 9bre [Nov.] 1779 à M. de Jussieu qui avoit ecrit ceci chez
moi le jeudi 4. soir.” plus his subject heading. Accompanied with a two-page draft of his reply,
dated 5 9bre [Nov.] 1779. In this Adanson writes that the Academy cannot propose this question
without making itself ridiculous for three reasons: (1) the metaphysical ideas on the ordre
naturel are not yet sufficiently clear, (2) the number of connaissances on the plants is not yet
sufficient, and (3) finally the necessary proofs to support this natural order demand not an
academic memoir but a large number of volumes. Adanson believes the Academy will have
more honor if it will propose a question on the useful part of botany, such as economics,
agriculture, or horticulture, and will refer de Jussieu to what will be proposed by his colleagues
Duhamel, Guettard, Tillet, Fougeroux, Lemonnier.
AD 202 [JUSSIEU, Antoine-Laurent de], [Paris], 20 Février 1783. 1 p.
Sends Adanson a report on a paper Des Mousses and another précis of Palisot de Beauvois and
requests him to report on these or to send the papers to him, giving on separate sheets his advice
on the several points of the report.
Annotated by G. de R[ocquigny]-A[danson]: “ce billet est d’Antoine-Laurent de Jussieu.”
AD 203 JUSSIEU, Bernard de (1699–1776), Paris, Aoust 1762. 5 pp.
Letter to Adanson, then in Caen, containing instructions for his travel in western France, giving
explicit information on the locations of some plants, fossils,
and animals, and mentioning