A month has now passed since Thomas Pennant received the letter [Linnaeus to Pennant, 23 December 1755{L1984}] he most desired from Linnaeus. He has prepared a box for Linnaeus containing minerals, stones, fossils, etc. There is also a list of the things in the box. Furthermore, there are some fossils that Pennant has recently received from Sicily.
Pennant tries to answer Linnaeus’s questions about fossils in England:
1. People in England have tried in vain to find the origin of the fossil that Linnaeus had delineated in his letter. Edward Lhwyd, who is a famous philosopher of Camden, has depicted and described this fossil in his Lithophylacii Britannici ichnographia under the fish Solea. However, most fortunately Pennant had recently received marine insects caught on the shores of the Isle of Anglesey and was very pleased to see that these were the same as the petrified one.
2. Many petrified anomalous species are known to Pennant. There is one that belongs to genus Terebratula and is fished in the sea close to Leghorn.
3. Nummi Brattenburgenses are totally unknown to Pennant. He would therefore like to receive some.
4. Pennant has often seen fossils of the orthoceratite. It seems to be related to Phallus testaceus marinus in Martin Lister’s Martini Lister, Historiae sive synopsis methodicae Conchyliorum, IV, 3:3.
Pennant has received many treasures from Italy and Sicily. But he has no single fossil from the north. Swedish minerals and fossils would therefore be much appreciated, especially, iron, copper, phosphorous spar, crystal, asbestas, etc.
Pennant has sent his box to London to be forwarded to Stockholm. As soon as possible he will send Linnaeus the names of the ship and its captain.
P.S. 1. Pennant hopes that Linnaeus will publish his dissertation on the origin of pearls [no such dissertation was published].
P. S. 2 There is a list of the 87 specimens in Pennant’s box. [There are comments by Linnaeus.]
P. S. 3. In his next letter Pennant promises to give the name of the person to whom Linnaeus should send his things. [Linnaeus has written the name Carl Hising].