gems, corundum, history.1, chemistry.2, mineralogy, crystallography

This is an unpublished manuscript in Natural History Museum, London. It contains a set of original watercolours and manuscript descriptions, Histoire naturelle: ou, Exposition des morceaux, les mieux choisis pour servir à l’étude de la minéralogie et de la cristallographie. The NHM describes it as Swebach’s own unpublished project: he noted that “the revolution prevented the publication of this work.” It survives as more than 200 original drawings with manuscript text, rather than as a conventionally published book. This projected work was not completed on account of the French Revolution. It is based on a collection of mineral specimens. Vols. 1–3 comprise boxed plates ; vols. 5–6 are calf bound volumes.