Requests the following 'Orchidaceae' specimens from the Linnean Herbarium when Smith comes to London: 'Orchis tripetaloides', 'Orchis sancta', 'Orchis flava', 'Orchis tipuloides', 'Satyrium aculatum', 'Satyrium pedicellatum', 'Satyrium hians', 'Ophrys cernua', 'Ophrys camtschatea', 'Serapias capensis', 'Limodorum altum', 'Epidendrum amabile', and 'Epidendrum pusillum'. Additionally requests unsettled 'Epidendrum' and 'Arethusa biplumata', [Francis] Buchanan's "two fine 'Epidendra' figured in "Exotic Botany"", and syngenesious plants 'Barnadeisa spinosa', 'Atractylis purpurea', 'Atractylis mexicana', 'Stachelina ilicifolia', 'Perdicium magellanicum', 'Sphaeranthus chinensis', and 'Jungia ferruginea'. Sir Joseph Banks slowly recovering from his attack of gout.

Sends handwritten extract from "Mem. de l'Institut", 1807 4, on [Étienne Pierre] Ventenat's genus 'Poiretia'. His name 'Hovea' is after the Polish traveller Anthony Pantaleon Hove, a friend of William [Townsend] Aiton who has collected for Sir Joseph Banks' herbarium. Hopes Smith has a productive visit to Holkham, [Norfolk, home of Thomas William Coke]. [William Elford] Leach to succeed the late [George] Shaw at the British Museum. Banks in good health but has lost the use of his legs.

Thanks Smith for the new Compendium. Had a successful trip to Paris and met all the principal botanists except [Charles-François Brisseau de] Mirbel and [Christiaan Hendrik] Persoon. [René Louiche] Desfontaines and [André] Thouin enquired after Smith's health and [Antoine Laurent de] Jussieu is preparing a second edition of his "Genera". Papers on 'Sarancenia' and 'Lycopodium' not read. Sir Joseph Banks in good health. Sending Dunal's "two works on 'Solanum'", an American edition of Smith's "Introduction to Botany" and will separately forward specimens of 'Salicornia'.

Encloses a letter from [Henry Thomas] Colebrooke detailing a plan for publishing [William] Roxburgh's "Flora Indica". Brown's opinion of it.

Sending to Norwich a box of books including [Charles Athanase] Walckenaer's "Memoires des Abeilles Solitaires"; [Kurt] Sprengel's "Species umbelli ferarum minus cognitae"; a parcel from [Olof] Swartz; seeds, possibly Indian; a parcel from Vienna containing ninth and tenth fasicules of [Joseph Franz von] Jacquin's "Eclogae"; [Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin's] "Collectanea" and "Synopsis Stapeliarum"; and a letter from [Brownlow North], Bishop of Winchester, containing flowers of a 'yucca'. [Alexander] Macleay has just left for Scotland for two months. Question on presentation of two plates for Smith's article on 'Rhizomorpha medullaris' in "Linnean Transactions". Sir Joseph Banks is well.