"WORTHY SIR, Sheffield, Oct. 23, 1731. "The weather still continuing good, encourages me to go on in my survey of Mineral Waters; and being solicitous, if possible, to put an end to those of Yorkshire this season, I desire you would cause any fellows in the neighbourhood to take up, cork, and seal, three large quarts of each water, cause them to be sent to the Talbot in Wakefield, to the care of the Sheffield or Rotheram carrier, who lies there every Monday and Thursday night, and comes here next day; and with each Water, let the taker-up give you an account whether the Spring rises up North, South, East, or West; at the top, middle, or foot of the hill; and, if known, what Stones, Minerals, or Earths, are near the place; what is the colour of the Water at the Spring-head, and what it deposits in its channel; what kind of scum it has upon it; what colour it makes the Stones, Earth, or other materials in its bason and course; what effects it has upon drinking or bathing; and send me also a little Vitriol got in the Coal or other pits, for I can find none here; let them try whether it will lather with soap, and of what colour it makes clothes washed in it, or meat boiled in it. I am heartily sorry to put you upon this trouble; but, as there is none other that I am either acquainted with, or is of ingenuity to satisfy me, I hope the trouble will be less impertinent. Please to let me know what kind of Stones, Earths, Shells, Fishes, &c. you have observed formerly near the places where these Waters are. With all sensible gratitude and obligations for former favours, I am, dear and worthy Sir, your most humble servant, THO. SHORT." Sheffield, Feb. 23, 1731-2. "WORTHY AND DEAR SIR, "Your kind letter, with the bottles of Water, I received. As for them, so especially for your kind promise in offering to assist me in your neighbourhood, I return you my most hearty thanks; and should take it much kinder still, if there be any thing of our Manufactory, either for House or Gardens, that you want, if you would please to let me know by a line. I have been thus far in the Winter throng, in examining and abridging all that have either treated purposely or transiently on Scarburgh, Buxton, and Harrogate Spaws, which are all in our country that have been treated of, except some small hints on Malton. I shall set out next week, to begin a review and re-examination of all the same Waters again, if the weather continue fair and the Springs low from the drought; but I must move very short excursions this Summer, having got an Antagonist Physician from Cambridge here. I shall be sure to remember Mr. Brewer's Matlock Petrifactions, and bring them when I go there; and if there is any thing from thence that I can serve you in, I should gladly do it. I design to be your way, and examine all your spring, pretty early, except great rains (whereof we have had none these 17 months) prevent me. I hope to find a catalogue. of the Waters about you and Halifax ready for me when I come. I am, worthy Sir, your obliged and humble servant, THO. SHORT." "DEAK DEAR AND WORTHY SIR, Sheffield, July 5, 1732. "I have herewith sent my servant, who, under your eye, will examine all the Waters in your neighbourhood; only see that he write a true account of their different colourations, by the sundry ingredients or mixtures used, and that he mark the bottles with the sediments right. But, to make the differences among the Waters of the same genus more obvious, let him get together all the Sulphur Waters first, and try them at once, letting them stand two days and making the observations upon the first mixture when just brought in from the Spring; secondly, after 12 hours standing; then, lastly, at 36 or 48 hours standing; and while they are thus mixed and standing by, let him exhale those sundry Waters, four or five gallons of each: for some Waters afford very little sediment; others again, as Cricklie ground Waters, afford three different kinds of salts, some only one, and some two. Then let him examine all the sundry Chalybeates in the same manner together, writing down which Water each row of glasses contains. You will please to give him orders where to go in Bradford for the loan of what Glasses he wants, which, as you have so many Waters, cannot be fewer than 16 or 18 dozen; he pays 2d. a dozen for the loan of them, and makes good what he breaks; and when he goes on forward toward Skipton and Settle, you will be so kind as to give him a letter to any gentleman there, to assist him with necessaries, and they send him on to others "I have sent some of the Matlock Petrifactions for Mr. Brewer and yourself. I hope you received the Proposals I sent, and will procure what subscriptions you can. I have a letter this day from a gentleman in Leeds, complaining of the high price of the copies, which is the only letter of this kind that has come to hand; but people reflect not on the great expences, and loss of time and business it has cost me, being a very different work from that spun out at leisure hours in a study; nor that all pamphlets, &c. of about 60 pages are still sold at a shilling; and lastly, if subscriptions come not in to clear off my expences, I have a chap ready to buy the manuscript to add to his Library, which is one of the finest of any one Nobleman's in England. Dr. Greathed of Lincoln exerts himself very warmly, and undertakes for the whole County, having a general acquaintance, and practised there for near fifty years; and will return, I hope, a very considerable number of subscriptions. And in this place gentlemen generally subscribe, some for two, four, or six copies, to force it out; for there shall not a copy be printed but what is subscribed for; and there shall be no theory, hypothesis, or opinion, admitted in the work, but all built upon plain experiment and demonstration. You will see the directions given my servant; and I beg you will be so kind as to give him the Natural History, I not being present. I have sent with the boy my first draught of the Natural and Experimental History of Scarburgh Spaw, which you may read over, and see a little the method I propose to follow; and beg your advice and direction 3F2 about about it: but fail not to return it by him; for, it being only a rude draught, yet it contains my whole experiments yet made; and my minutes I have destroyed. I hope you have taken care of Preston, I having no acquaintance in that country. Send also a Proposal, and some receipts to your brother, Haworth Currer, Esq. for Craven; and if you want more, please to give a letter by post, as soon as my man is gone, with an account of his diligence, and your observations on Scarburgh; and I will send what you want. I am, dear Sir, your most obliged, &c. THO. SHORT." "WORTHY SIR, Sheffield, July 15, 1732. "After thanks returned for a great many personal obligations, so for your great kindness to my servant, who met with neither friends nor friendship besides yours and family, I must recollect two things I forgot in my last. The first is concerning the Waters you was so kind as to procure and send me last Winter; they had lost their Sulphur when they came to my hand, which was about ten days after they were taken up; and the remaining quantity after my trials was too small for exhalation, to find out their salt; so that I intend only to insert both that part of the letter I had with them, and so much of your last by my servant as relates to these Waters, into the book, which is far better and more ingenious than any thing I could have gathered from them in that decayed state. The next was the specimens of Plants you was so good as to make me a present of, which I would have sent with the boy; but, giving you the trouble of the Natural and Experimental History of Scarburgh, I was afraid you could not have time to sort the other; especially, seeing I intend a turn to your side myself, I thought to bring them along with me, and get them put in order, when perhaps an addition might be made to them. The design I had in sending those papers by the boy, was to have your valuable and ingenious observations and castigations of them; but not one have you made, or mentioned in your letter. I examine most known Mineral Waters in these Counties, not to trouble the world with a long impertinent history of them, but "in quo minimè credis gurgite piscis erit," some very obscure ones have that in them, which is sufficient to confute the present established, but ill-grounded hypothesis about them; as one I had from the North Riding, which affords me chiefly Alum Crystals, and a little Sea Salt, another Fixed Vitriol, besides that of Malton; and you know, when we conveniently can let a thing be established in the mouths of two or three witnesses, some obscure out-of-the-way Springs may chance to be more useful than others of greater vogue. Nor do I design to act so foolishly in the Medicinal History, as to make one Spaw cure all diseases; for proving too much is proving nothing, or making them useless; but assign the chief effects to each Spring; though after all I do not know whether I shall bring it to bear an Edition or not, subscriptions coming in so slowly, excepting here only and Derby, and what Sir Hans Sloane and Dr. Greathead of Lincoln procure. I have inclosed some Pro posals; posals; and if you want any more, please to let me know. I am, worthy Sir, in a very sensible manner, "Your most obliged and humble servant, THO. SHORT." "SIR, Sheffield, July 7, 1733. "Favoured with your last; but, having been mostly abroad, could not possibly return an answer sooner. I am glad the boy is so diligent and exact; but I am sorry to give your house so much trouble, though your great goodness so generously excuse it; yet even this adds both to the kindness and my sense of it. I must set out for Scarborough next week; and when I am returned and rested 2 or 3 days I design to call upon you, and go the length of Settle and Colne, and at my return bring the boy with me home. I shall get my book published about Lammas, it being already all printed off to seven sheets; so if Sir John Kaye, or you, or Mr. Garth, have procured any more subscriptions, I shall have them of you when I come over, and send all the copies together when I get home. I am, Sir, &c. THO. SHORT." Sheffield, Oct. 9, 1733. 66 SIR, When "Herewith please to receive the following books; viz. seven large paper, one for yourself (which please to accept for your trouble), and six for your friends, at 15s. apiece: to Mr. Garth two large paper, and one small: one of the large for himself at 12s. because he procured me two other subscriptions. you have received their money, please to return it to Dr. Cookson; for I shall send for Dan home before then, he having been unreasonably long troublesome to your family already, for which I am under a greater obligation to you for than I know how to make a return. I have also sent a box for Mr. Brewer; and I shall send him by the messenger that comes for the boy several things more curious than these, which I had mislaid, and could not find till this was made up. If he can send me some specimens of Sea or Land Plants, which he can conveniently spare, when Dan comes home, I shall be obliged to him. Be so kind as send two books of large paper, and one of small, with the inclosed letter, to Mr. Cooper of Colne. Since I was in your country, I have obtained from two Waters two different kinds of Nitre; neither of which, as far as I have read, seems to be so much as known either to Ancients or Moderns; which will effectually overturn the bold assertion of those who tell us that no Mineral Waters in England contain any Fixed Salt, besides Marine and Sal Calcareum. 66 Pray please to favour me with your judicious observations upon the book when you read it. Please to take your book out of the box with a great many thanks. I am, Sir, in the gratefullest manner for all your favours, with my service to your lady and family, your most obliged humble servant, THO. SHORT." "DEAR SIR, Rotheram, Nov. 3, 1733. "Favoured with yours of the 17th past. Would have sent for Dan before this, but have been throng about a double marriage in the family; viz. Mr. William Parkin, jun. of Mortimley to Mr. Copley's sister, of Sprodbar, near Doncaster; and I since to Mr. Parkin's Parkin's sister. Our hurry is not yet over. As soon as I have got my house quiet, I will send for him. All the books I sent you are double demy paper, those called small paper are single demy. "I sent Mr. Brewer a catalogue of his Fossils by post, and will send him some more, after our Fair of the 19th is past, when I shall send for Dan home, and hope what small number of dried Plants he has got ready he will send by the boys; in the mean time I wish Dan would call on him, and draw these three or four Plants he wants to have done, for which I had last week a letter from him. Mr. Garth's account is right. Pray please to let me know in your next, how your country stands affected to the ensuing Election; all our neighbourhood being for Sir Rowland Wynn and Mr. Turner. With my service to your lady and sons, I am, dear and worthy Sir, your most obliged, &c. THO. SHORT." "WORTHY SIR, Dec. 14, 1733. "I hereby return you my hearty thanks, for the generous and unmerited favour you have shewn to me, for my servant Dan; whom I have hereby ordered home. I should be exceedingly glad, could it possibly ever fall in my way to shew the gratitude and respect due by me to you for so many distinguishing favours. I am quite out of countenance for giving so long trouble. If your bookbinder will specify the damaged sheets in your copy, I will make them good, and impatiently wait your most ingenious and free observations on the work. I have sent you another copy of large paper instead of the damaged one complained of by Mr. Preston; the last I make a present of, to your younger son the Physician, or whom you please, as the copy is compleat, and I am sure legible. I am still prosecuting my experiments further to bring the affair nearer to demonstration. I hope in Summer, personally to return you my thanks; and till then, as ever, I must remain, your most obliged and humble servant, THO. SHORT." "WORTHY AND DEAR SIR, Sheffield, Jan. 17, 1733-4. "Yours with the money inclosed (in full payment of the books sent you) I received by Dan and Jonathan, with the Plants drawn ; which are truly curious, and I esteem valuable; and for which I return you most hearty thanks, as for all your other favours. Jonathan told me that, if I had not business for Dan, you desired to have him some time. As the boy is the best at drawing that I have seen, I am not willing to part with him to any living, whilst I can keep him; yet as Dr. Richardson (my most valuable Friend, to whom I am under so many obligations that I cannot in gratitude deny him) desires him, he shall come to him, or ! will dismiss him, and for that reason, as he has now finished some things that he left half finished at Bierley. I will put him on setting my books in order, and taking a catalogue of them, which will take him up some time till your answer come to hand and how he is to come over; whether I shall cause my man to bring him, or how. If you had not had him, I intended to have sent him to Lord Malton's Green-house till Spring, and then have sent him to Lord Burlington's Gardens: but these I lay |