Visiting Claude Scott. Thanks for Roscoe's letter of 18 June and paper [see RelatedMaterial below], which is "new & satisfactory", but cannot subscribe to the declaration that it is chiefly derived from his [Smith's] works, will suggest other alterations. Frustrated in attempts to spend July in country near London. The plant Roscoe sent is 'Bryum ligulatum' "English Botany" t 1449. "Flora Graeca" to be published in 10 volumes with 100 coloured plates in each, released in half volumes at price of 12 guineas for first two, to become successively cheaper; further details.

Roscoe's paper [see RelatedMaterial below] has occupied all the meetings of the Linnean Society this season butis now finished. Death of [Jonas] Dryander a "great loss to us all in his way". Keen to get his part of [Abraham] Rees' "Cyclopedia" forward, till [William Fitt] Drake can relieve him from part of it, who is now ordained and is settling near him in January; asks if Roscoe has seen his biographies of famous botanists.

Enjoying good health this winter. Expects to see Roscoe take his seat again in Parliament under a new ministry. Invites Roscoe to come to Norfolk and visit Holkham [home of Thomas William Coke] for the pictures, statues, drawings, books, and charming company. Sends via Mr J Thornley. [William] Roxburgh has described all the East Indian 'Scitamineae' according to Roscoe's system.

Account of his time in London: breakfasted with [Sir Abraham and Lady Amelia] Hume; Lord Dartmouth [George Legge, 3rd Earl of Dartmouth (1755-1810)] has promised a ticket for the "Antient Music"; came from Wormleybury, [Hertfordshire, home of the Humes], on Saturday, gave a lecture, and attended Royal Academy dinner, where William Smith introduced him to William Wilberforce [(1759-1833), abolitionist] and Duke of Bedford [John Russell, 6th Duke], sat next to [Samuel] Rogers [(1763-1855)] the poet; the exhibition poor; felt feverish the next day.

Requests copy of extracts from Fuseli's "Aphorisms". Resolved to not go further than reptiles in his lectures now, and will leave fish, insects, and worms for another year; course ends 16 May. Offered to make Lord Darmouth an Honorary Member of the Linnean Society, he deferred. Court party uneasy about the city agitations and dread Sir Fra[...]s's liberation. [Richard] Westall [(1765-1836), painter] exhibiting his pictures at his house; he is "very kind, as usual".

[Letter incomplete: small cropped section pasted over second folio, missing text presumed destroyed. Comparison of the paper of the two folios suggests this may have once been two separate letters]

His journey from Oxford to Hall Place. His time in London, including seeing [Thomas] Forster, Mr and Mrs Lee, Mrs Barbauld, the Aikins, including Lucy Aikin [(1781-1864), historical writer], whose poem on women is "very admirable"; Mr Thomson of Russell Square, now a master in Chancery; attended a party at Mrs Weddell's with the C Scotts, meeting Mrs [Amelia] Opie [(1769-1853), author], the Rudges, Wilbrahams, Mr and Mrs Frere, and Sir H Englefield. Proposed to the Dilettanti club by Lord Borringdon; intends to join. Oppressive weather in London. Lord Erskine has called on him twice to consult about willows, recommended by William Smith. His "Hafod Tour"; payment and gifting of copies. Intends to dedicate his "Lapland Tour" to Thomas Forster of Clapton, [Essex].

[Letter incomplete: second folio cropped, presumed destroyed]

Transcript of Smith's dedication of "Tour to Hafod" to Thomas Johnes, and preface.

Rejects Smith's proposal to give Brown's name to Brown's genus 'Josephia'; explains how he previously considered 'Dryandra' and others. Sends Smith two 'Orchidaceae' to be considered instead and suggests 'B. tropica' or 'B. sencea' for one and 'B. australis' for the other, observations on second and third pages [crossed through in pencil]. Urges a swift "baptizm" if acceptable to Smith so as to include them in the "Prodromus" he is currently working on. Suggests an appendment to Smith's "Lapland tour", currently in the press, in the form of an essay on its botany by [Georg] Wahlenberg. [Alexander] Macleay has fractured the fibula of his right leg. An essay on 'Proteaceae' by "Knight & co." [Richard Salisbury published Brown's 'Proteacea' under the name of Joseph Knight (c 1777-1855), gardener for George Hibbert (1757-1837, merchant), see RelatedMaterial].

Believes the 'Parmelia' from St Leonard's Forest and common on beech trees is a distinct species, most resembles 'P. lavigata' and 'P. scortea'; differences and similarities. Observations on 'Lecidea synothea', sent [James] Sowerby specimen , also sending 'Lichen olivacens', and flowers of the Sussex elm. Corrections for "English botany": error in translation of vexillum; [Robert] Brown first discoverer of 'Lichen mentosus' in Britain, having found it in Aberdeenshire in 1794.

Postscript to Davies' letter of 28 November 1810 [see RelatedMaterial below]. Sending [James] Sowerby duplicate specimen of 'Lichen scaber', which he had formerly given to [William] Hudson.

Sends parcel from [George] Don. Error with Smith's new species 'Hieracium prenanthoides' in "English botany", confusion with 'H. denticulatum'; discusses in detail.

Mr Drummond just returned from tour of western County Cork where he found a new 'Ophrys'; sends specimen and transcript of Drummond's account of it [extant]. Drummond "much obliged" by Smith's notice of his 'Pinguicula'; Miss Hutchins thought it 'P. vulgaris' of Withering and "English botany"; Drummond's acquisition of this and 'P. grandifolia'.

Drummond's account and description of new 'Ophrys' [3 pp, Smith has annotated on recto of third folio 'Neothia gemmipara']

Introduces himself. Has brought his collections of 'Fucus' and 'Conferva' to London, gathered from north Devon coast over the last 4 years; [John] Stackhouse considers many to be new species; invites Smith to inspect them at Sir Joseph Banks' house. Offers Smith specimens of each of the 'Fucus'.

[Spec 16 in pencil at top of verso of folio]

He was not mistaken in his ideas respecting the horn of the rhinoceros, having observed the living specimen at Exeter Change, which is larger than Mr B's specimen but has a much shorter horn; concludes that the horn on Mr B's is from another species. Sending specimen of 'Acontium napellus' found near Cheltenham, [Gloucestershire], has also found it near Carlisle, [Cumberland]. considers it a British species.

Will explain his reasons for opposing Mr Bullock when he next sees Smith.

["Spec 15" written in pencil top of verso of first folio]

[Robert] Brown is to succeed [Jonas] Dryander as Sir Joseph Banks' [librarian]. Royal Society librarianship still vacant. [William Elford] Leach censured at Linnean Society for sending a circular letter against election of [William] Bullock [(fl 1790s-1840s)]; expects further unpleasantness. Hopes to see Smith's edition of "Lachesis Lapponica" soon. He is currently Lady Banks' physician.

Sends "English botany" as usual but late, and adds profile of [Peter Simon] Pallas as a present from [Aylmer Bourke] Lambert, who has given the plate to Linnean Society. Sends a couple of drawings for "English botany" and some of Smith's specimens and drawings. He has begun some things for "Icones pictae", asks if Smith wishes to go on with it. Hopes to get faster out of debt this year. Encloses £20 bank note and package from [William] Borrer.

Sending profile of Pallas, plants, and drawings until some "Flora Graeca" is sent.

Apologises for delay in sending Smith the information he requested in his last letter. Transcribes character of 'Ulva plantanginea' ('Tremella marina' of Dillenius) from [Albrecht Wilhelm] Roth's "Catalecta botanica", observations on description.

Has written to [Lewis Weston] Dillwyn [(1778-1855), naturalist] on subject of 'Ulva turneri' being published in "English botany", as Dillwyn had intended to publish it in "Linnean Transactions"; thinks it satisfactorily distinct from 'U. fistulosa', and thinks same of Miss Hutchin's 'U. ramulosa' and branched varities of 'U. compressa'; observations. Has never had 'Conferva fibrata' in fruit, and neither drawings nor specimens of 'C. radicans', having given all he had to Dillwyn when he published his "Synopsis".

Encloses a 'Conferva' just received from [William Jackson] Hooker. Pleased that Smith obtained [Heinrich Adolph] Schrader's "Flora [Germanica]" and has good opinion of it; hopes it and [Daniel Matthias Heinrich] Mohr's [(1780-1808), botanist] "cryptogamic flora" will be finished. Has requested [William] Borrer's first genera of 'Lichen' for comparison against Smith's, hopes Borrer will finish and publish without waiting for remaining genera.

Returns Linnaean 'Fucus' specimens.

Five items enclosed, comprising:

1. [4.45] Letter from Davies to Smith. Sends a possible paper for "Linnean Transactions". Relates his good health although his peace of mind has been disturbed by [Edward] Donovan's [(1768-1837) zoologist] malignity. Believes Donovan's vanity and a "wish to be conspicuous" led to him to dispute sections of [Thomas] Pennant's "British Zoology" in order to support his own work, knowing Pennant to be dead and believing Davies and Pennant's illustrator [Moses] Griffith [(1749-c 1809)] to be also dead. Asks Smith to compare a handwritten extract from Donovan's "History of Fishes" [4.48], a sketch of the Beaumaris shark [4.47], printed letter from Moses Griffith [4.49], and the figure of the shark in "British Zoology".

2. [4.47] Traced copy of Davies' original drawing of the Beaumaris Shark, the same which he lent to Edward Donovan, asks Smith to compare it to the reduced copy which appears in "British Zoology" and the "audacious" account Donovan gives in the 'Squalus cornubicus' article in "History of British Fishes", note to also see [Samuel] Goodenough's article on the Porbeagle shark in "Linnean Transactions".

3. [4.48] Handwritten extract from article on 'Squalus cornubicus' from Donovan's "History of British Fishes", in which Donovan claims that Davies' drawing of the shark as it appears in "British Zoology" is altered from the original to such an extent that a very different fish is conveyed, implying that this led to Goodenough erroneously claiming in "Linnean Transactions" that the 'Squalus cornubicus' could not be the same as the Beaumaris shark.

4. [4.49] Printed extract from a letter written by Moses Griffith and published in "the Cambrian" 30 Dec 1809 refuting Donovan's claims that he was dead and defending himself against criticism of his draughtsman skills.

5. [4.50] Printed "Extracts from the North Wales Gazette" 1 March and 8 March 1810. Davies first defended against Donovan's accusations of Davies spreading falsehoods in the June 1809 "Gentleman's Magazine". Donovan replied in the August 1809 and September 1809 "Gentleman's Magazine". Davies was apparently prevented from replying again in the "Gentleman's Magazine" so recoursed to the North Wales Gazette in which he makes a lenghty defense. Davies has annotated sections with page references to Pennant's "Tours in Wales".

Requests Smith's assistance in finding a builder to rebuild the Parsonage House at his friend's Rev Trivett's new living near Yarmouth, Norfolk. Recalls seeing 'Mespilus germanica' in Sussex, compares it to figures in several works and concludes that the one in "English Botany" is a cultivated variety. Asks why [Thomas] Martyn has not been mentioned in "Hortus Kewensis" as the publisher of [Philip] Miller's "Gardener's Dictionary". [James] Donn [(1758-1813) gardener] is publishing another edition of "Hortus Cantabrigiensis".

Introduces Mme. Solvyus; botany of Egypt.

Discussed [Edward] Rudge's paper with [Robert] Brown and [Jonas] Dryander and attempted to call on Rudge to represent to him that he believed "he had been imposed upon by some one having stolen 2 of the plants from Sir Joseph Banks", but he was out. Asks Macleay to send letter on subject; takes it for granted Rudge knew nothing of the theft, which he charges on [Richard] Salisbury.

Returns sheets. Does not doubt Patrick Neill's sorrow, but he shows "how foolish a figure a man makes who does any thing he would be ashamed to own". Glad that "our other foolish friend", [Edward] Rudge, has withdrawn the two disputed plants from his paper [suspected to have been stolen from Sir Joseph Banks' herbarium]. He and [Dawson] Turner are going to Holkham [Hall, Norfolk, home of Thomas William Coke] for a week.