'Stamboul, Novr 11 1715
Hond Sr
The kind Expressions of yor Generosity & Goodness to me, wch yor obliging Letter under ye 7th Octo has brought me, are such as I cannot enough acknowledge or make any suitable Returns for ’em. I must only observe yt tis ye Distinguishing Character of a true Patron of Learning to help it forward in it’s Infancy, wheresoever he finds it, & tis an Argument of an Excellent Mind, to desire to be Instructive. All my concern is lest you should expect great Matters from me, & should in ye end be disappointed, & find your Favours bestow’d on a Person yt has made no Improvement by ’em. I am very much obliged by your Present of Medals, altho some of ’em have frequently come to my Hands before. Such are ye Coyns of Smirna Col Troa ΑΠΑΜΕΩΝ.
The want of Books must be a certain obstruction to my Progress in this Exercise, if I proposd to make any great Advances in it. But my design is not to continue much longer in ye Countrey, & therefore tis’nt worth while to make any great Provision. I have hitherto subsisted upon Monsr Vaillant’s Numismata Imperat’ Rom’ 2 Tome 4to, wch I borrowd & have long since restord to his Exncy [Robert Sutton]. He has also Vaillant’s other books but I have never seen ym. Some Help I gather fro’ Travellers accots & draughts of Medals, one of ye Principal is Sr G, Wheeler who has describd a pretty many Greek Ones. I hope shortly to receive a Book or 2 from Aleppo, where there are many: amongst all or merchts in this Place we have not one. The Vaillant wch you presented Monsr De Lamstroy is either carryed away or lost; I shall be glad to know what Books are ye most proper, & sufficient, to introduce a Beginner.
I suppose ye Books never prix ye Imperial medals or Colonies or Greek wth each other, but keep them in distinct Classes, wth a volume or Tome for each of them. I hear from my Bror Owen yt you may shortly expect a recruit of Coyns fro’ those Parts. I return my Thanks for yor Generous offer of a Share of ym. I am ready to do Justice in contributing a Part of ye Expence since I am to reap a Part of ye Benefit. I cant but be of the Opinion yt ye best way of being supplyd wth Medals is to hold Correspondence with Adrianople, Angora & other parts of ye Empire, where a Man can find an Acquaintance.
Mr Owen, I observe, is so devoted to yor Service yt I can have no Benefit from him, but what comes thro’ your Hands. I have met wth a Shraph in Stamboul who has for many years treasur’d up this Co’modity in Silver only. He has indeed a large Quantity but they run chiefly upon ye small Coyns of ye Emprs wch are of little value, I presume, unless something extraordinary be found on ye Reverse. He has also a great No of Alexanders Philips ΑΘΕ Μακεδον’ & yt are obvious, some few others yt are of Gr. Citys abt 5 drachms in weight bearing a Shield on one side, on ye other a Pot or Urn wth 2 ears, & ye name of ye City, of ye value of these I am ignorant, as also of ye Consular Medalls abt 2 drachms in weight, I believe they are seldom collected. If any Enquiries into this Treasure can be of Service to you, I promise to Act in ye most disinterested manner for you, & a Line shall co’mand me. I take ye Liberty to co’mit my Interrogatories & doubts to my Bror Lisle in order to get ’em resolvd, when he finds a Leasure opportunity wth you. I hope you’l excuse this sort of Trouble; as it encreases, or grows intolerable, you may silence me at Pleasure. I am
Honored Sr
Yor most devoted & humble Servt W Crosse
[Annotations by Sherard]
This Shraph has a copper medal (ye vernice p’fect) ye size of a Tull (yt is ye 2d size) The Head of [Gor?]d ΓΟΡΔΙΑΝΟΣ ΣΕΒ. ye Rev. (as I remember) a figur[e] standing wthout anything extraordinary. I had but just a view of it, ye Inscr. ΚΟΙΝΟΝ ΘΕΣΣΑΛΩΝ valu’d as Silver at 9 or 10 per’ p’ drachm.
To ye Worshipful Wm Sherard Esqr
Consul for ye British Nation
at
Smirna
R Nov 19 1715
Answ 31 Dec'
(Royal Society, MS 252/115; Burnett 2020b, pp. 1520-1)
