The Gardeners' Chronicle and Agricultural Gazette, Volume 9, page 743 (Nov 24, 1849)

The history of the Manettii stock is as follows. Some 12 or 15 years since a Signor Crivelli, of Como, attracted by an article in Loudon’s “Gardeners' Magazine,” Wrote to me, offering to exchange some seedling Italian Roses for choice named varieties. I sent him a small collection, and in return received from him some seedling Roses; among them were Rosa indica grandiflora and Rosa indica Manettii, two very small plants. These he described as being hybrid China Roses, and most valuable Roses for stocks in the dry climate of Italy. I soon found that although so much alike in habit as scarcely to be distinguished, they differed most materially in this respect; the former could only be propagated by layers, while of the latter every cutting grew. I gradually increased my stock of the latter, and now propagate from 40,000 to 50,000 annually. As with all new articles in gardening, I had to buy some experience, for I found if I grew them in a rich soil and budded them at the usual period, the buds rotted; they appeared to be drowned in the superabundance of sap. At last I saw it was necessary to plant them in poor soils, and bud them in September.

I presume this stock has found favour in America, for last season I received an order from one house for 2000. 
Thos. Rivers.

I am slightly confused; the description of this rose states, "thornless (or almost)", but some of the pictures and comments are of a very thorny rose.