The Hartlib Papers

It must needs be, that those, bÿ whom you send your letters unto me to the post, acquit themselves verie ill of their commission for your letter, that should haue come in the packet of last tuesdaÿ was [word deleted] fourtnight, came not till that daÿ eight daÿes: and that, which should haue come in the packet of the same second tuesdaÿ, came but in that of fridaÿ after. and bÿ the tuesdaÿes packet of this week I got neuer a letter from you, though I got one from Mÿladie Bannatine, superscribed bÿ you. which strange and continued disorder beeing verie troublesome to me, I hope you will see it remedied for the future. your letter of 30. Sept.. I took no notice of in mÿ last, because it was not brought to me till Saturdaÿ morning (being come to town but the [morning? obscured by seal] before) after that I had sealed-up mÿ letter to [blot/deleted letter?] you. but that to Mÿladie Bannatine being open yet, I desired her to giue you notice, that I had receiued it. I was wonderfull glad, to find bÿ it, that Mrs Durie was mending of her late sicknes; hoping that she hath continued to doe so, and that bÿ this time she is come to her perfect health again. but it uexeth me not a little, that the printers hauing committed so manie errata in Irelands naturall historie, haue refused to giue the remedie thereoff at the end of the work.   The experiment [left margin: mark extending to foot of page] [concerning? obscured by seal] the growth of trees, which you doe so much desire mÿ sister Struce to procure for you, I haue newlie receiued of her, being such as followeth. Mÿ Oncle van hattom buried Acorns in wet sand in the cellar, and letting them lÿe there all winter (during which time the warmth and moisture of the place would make them get prettie big sprouts, such as those of Malt, before it be put to the kilne) he would in the spring put them into the ground, hauing before dunged it convenientlie: and bÿ meanes here-off he would gaine a whole yeare, his plants becomming fairer and bigger the first yeare, than those of others at 2. yeares end. This is all the secret, that euer mÿ Oncle used, for aduancing the growth of trees; or if he had anie other, his son

  you tell me, that the house being to be called 3.^o Nou.., if I could suggest anie thing unto you bÿ the waÿ of expedient, it would come verie seasonable, and you would doe your utmost for [that?] improouing of it to the mutuall good of the 2. nations. where-upon I must answer, that I can not conceiue, what those suggestions are, you expect of me, or of what nature: the which untill you clear first to me, I can saÿ nothing to it. you desire me also to suggest a better and more healthfull waÿ of brewing of Ale: where-in although I am no verie fit counsellour, hauing little <more> [word deleted] but a base theoricall knowledge of that mÿsterie, yet something I might perhaps hold forth, worth the heeding, if you would acquaint me with the particulars, wherewith fault is found in the common waÿ of brewing. Thus commending you and yours to God, I rest euer

                         yours at command

                                M.M.

Paris 17/27 Oct... 1652.

Sir, As I was going to make-up this packet, I got your last, of 7/17 Octob.., it being come in the fridaÿs packet, insteed of comming in the tuesdaÿes, in the same manner as that last week; of which strange continued disorder no other cause can be imagined, than what above I haue pointed at. Now hauing but little time left, I must be much more brief, in answering your said letter, than otherwise I should haue been. I am sorrie, that Irelads Naturall historie hath been printed with so manie Errata, whereof the verie title-page is not free, in having put waÿ for waÿes. and in mÿ letter, to passe ouer others of lesser moment, theÿ haue [altered?] put Sir Richard Parsons, for Sir Philip Perciuall; which monstruous deviation as I cannot imagine how theÿ could possiblie stumble upon it, so I beseech you to correct it with the pen in all your copies, and to intreate the printer, that he would doe the same in all the rest. I am glad that that

For Mr Samuel hartlib,

at his house at

charingcrosse         [another hand:] 2/3d

         London

port

Experiment of the Growth

      of Trees.