Encloses Lord [Edward Smith-]Stanley's FLS nomination certificate and asks Smith to find two signatories. Asks for copies of his last arrangement of genus 'Canna' and the first copy of of his paper on 'Scitamineae' plants; agrees that the genus needs investigation; wishes he had seen Smith's 'Canna glauca' in "Exotic botany" as Smith's figure differs entirely from 'Canna glauca' of "Hortus Elthamensis"; his knowledge of the two kinds of the genus, the nerved leaved kind, including 'Canna lutea', 'Coccinea', 'Canna latifolia', and the glaucos kind, including 'Cannacorus' of "Hortus Elthamensis", Smith's 'glauca', 'Maranta arundinacea' and 'Maranta sylvatica', which both agree with 'lutea' of [Nikolaus von] Jacquin; small ink sketch of detail of plant. Intends to distribute 'Monandrian' plants to friends with stoves.

[Parts of this letter appears to have been written some time before its dating, as Roscoe mentions being called to offer himself as a candidate in the election, which he won in early November].