His Highland tour cancelled due to bad weather. Account of the harvest, which is progressing well; agricultural unrest. Intends to send a paper on the original breed of black cattle.

Had expected to see Roxburgh taking a botanical excursion up the river by this time and recommends such a trip in the cold weather as being advantageous to his health; encloses account [extant] and specimens of a locust swarm, one of the "numberless natural curiosities" of this country, to encourage him to visit.