LETTERS FROM THE REV. WM. DERHAM, D D. 181
Not only did he attend professionally the stepson, and also the
son of Dacre, but the latter's daughter, by his second wife,
married a nephew of Sir Hans, who was a trustee of their Marriage
Settlement.
May 24. 1710.
Sr
I suppose I have told you I am drawing up a Survey of the
Creation, & I can now tell you ye I believe I may have occation to
use it next year for Mr. Boyles Lectures. I am now about the
vegetables, in which nothing to be done wth out Mr. Rays help,
& therefore I beg the favour of you to lend me that part of Mr.
Rays Hist. Pl. wch you think will be most usefull to my design,
yt will acquaint mo wth ye parts, Divisions &c. of Vegetables, wch
I suppose his first part doth. If you led me one or more Volumes,
I have given my man a strict charge not to bruise or any way injure
them ; & I will take all care my self of so valueable Books. I hear
send you one of your 3 Vol : of Acta Erud : the other two not
being yet perused for want of time by reason I have been harrassid
with journeys every week to ye Council of ye R.S. about the contest
between DDs. Sloane, & Woodward, wch is as far from an end as
at ye first, & appointed to be ended this day, but I believe will not
be so. I have not time at present, nor have had for a good while
(my family having been very ill) or I would have waited on you,
& acquainted you wch our unhappy squabbles at Gresh : Col, wch
are very prejudicial to the honour of our most famous Society,
& I fear may be more so, if matters come to such extremities as
I believe they will. I am wth great respect.
Sr
Your much obliged humble Servant
W. Derham.
John Woodward, born 1665, died 1728, was a geologist and
physician. He served more than once on the Council of the
Royal Society. He was author of several books, and his col-
lections now form the nucleus of the Woodwardian Museum at
Cambridge. He appears to have been a very bad tempered
person. In 1710 at a meeting of the Royal Society, he grossly
insulted Sir Hans Sloane, and in spite of the efforts of mutual
friends he refused to apologise, and so was at last expelled
the Society, against which body he then unsuccessfully brought
an action. Some years after, in 1719, he had a. fracas with Dr.
Richard Mead when entering Gresham College, with the result
that they both drew swords and were only separated by the
intervention of the bystanders.
The Royal Society met for some years at Gresham College,
near Broad Street, and afterwards at Arundel House. Then
they returned to Gresham College, where they held their meetings