Received alarming accounts of Smith's health from Sir Thomas Cullum and brother-in-law, R Reeve, and that it was not Smith's lungs but an erysipelas affecting his head and rendering his eyes weak, preventing him from going to Liverpool. Sends two varieties of 'Potamogeton natans', one approaching close to 'P. lucens' and other to [Richard] Relhan's 'P. palustris'. 'Ophrys beselii' growing in boggy ground near his house; peculiarities of its habitat.

Thanks for Smith's recognition of his service [elected FMLS]. Sending signet ring with image of his late father, Johann Hedwig [(1730-1799), botanist]. Discussion of ferns: Dawson Turner handling, drawing, and examining these plants for his book; requests any ferns Smith may have. Lists ferns according to Smith's taxonomy, highlighting how many items are missing from Smith's classification.

Habitat of 'Bromus arvensis' which is growing in his own fields along with 'Lolium perenne'. Received seeds and ferns from Jamaica. Received letter from [Jacques-Julien de] Labillardière who has been commissioned by French government to publish natural history of his voyage [to Australia]. Extract from Labillardière's letter, in French, on his appreciation of England, and on the chemist Guiton Morreau [Louis-Bernard Guyton-Morveau (1737-1816)]. Could not find 'Bromus erectus' for [William Fitt] Drake. A life of Cyrillus [5th century Greek jurist] in August's "Monthly Magazine". [Richard] Salisbury has found twenty new species of 'Erica' in [Lambert's] plants from the Cape [of Good Hope], intends including them in a supplement to his paper on the same.

Appreciates Smith's proposal to add a footnote mentioning the republication of his "Flora Canatabrigiensis" when quoting from the same.