He has had a relapse since arriving but now well, and as the waters do him "great service" will stay for another 8 or 10 days. Asks that Sowerby send [Edmund] Davall copies of second numbers of both "Icones pictae" and "Spicilegium botanicum". Sending box of plants for "English botany", including: 'Lithospermum officinale', 'Cardamine impatiens', 'Aquilegia vulgaris', 'Arenaria verna', 'Thlaspi montanum', 'Polygala vulgaris', 'Lysimachia nemorum', 'Cistus helianthemum', 'Euphrasia officinalis', 'Poterium sanguisorba', 'Galium', 'Byssus aurea'; brief notes on characteristics of each.

Sends seaside plants to be drawn for "English botany", including: 'Santolina maritima', 'Euphorbia paralias', 'Nordeum maritimum', and 'Atriplex laciniata'. Also sending specimen of 'Pyrola maculata', a very rare American plant, for "Spicilegium [botanicum]", a new 'Campanula', garden specimen of 'Galeopsis villosa' for "English botany", and 'Mentha exigua'.

Sending parcel of 50 'Santolina' specimens to be forwarded to [James] Dickson for his "Hortus Siccus Brittanicus". Asks Sowerby to send two copies of ; requests him to send by coach two copies of "A specimen of the botany of New Holland" for [William Beeston] Coyte and Mrs [Elizabeth] Cobbold.

Finds that no.427 [of "English botany"] they settled on for 'Tragopogon pratense' is already occupied by 'Humulus lupulus'. Encloses drawing of 'T. farfara' no.429; he will bring the rest, with the 'Boronia', to Sir Joseph Banks'. Considering beginning vol 7 [of "English botany"] with 'Epimedium alpinum'.

List of plants for plates 415-435.

[Short note only, written on scrap of paper]

Requests Sowerby to draw 'Alsine media' to figure with 'Cerastium aquaticum'. Wishes Sowerby to acquire wild specimens of 'Lychnis viscaria' from [John] Mackay [(1772-1802), employed at Dickson nursery, Edinburgh] of Edinburgh, for which he is postponing 'Lychnis flos cuculi'.

Thanks for £10 bank note and drawings. Suffering from headaches in the heat, expects relief at Lowestoft, [Suffolk]. Pleased Sowerby agrees with him about genus 'Phallus', "the old trivial names are unnecessarily indecent". His pupil, [William Fitt Drake], will look for anything curious at Lowestoft. Uncertain about Sowerby's 'Salix', which may be 'S. amygdalina'.

His sister Mrs Weston has had a girl, and his brother Francis' wife a boy. Expecting a visit from [Richard] Relhan. Wishes to know how to send a parcel to Sweden.

Sending pieces of amber and jet collected at Lowestoft, [Suffolk], comments on "serpentine impression" in larger piece of jet.

His health much better since coming here, though still cannot read or write for more than half an hour at a time. Sowerby made a mistake in ordering the indexes sheet of "English botany" to be printed now as he had enough for September. Intends to spend a week with [Dawson] Turner at Yarmouth, [Norfolk], shortly. Requests copies of "English botany" from no 81 onwards, for an American friend.

Would like to help Sowerby with his intended book on minerals but has "never attended much to that part of Natural History", and concerned it will delay Sowerby in his work with "Flora Graeca", which the executors want finished as quickly as possible; Smith will never consent to any other artist being employed, though [Thomas] Platt [(d 1842), one of John Sibthorp's executors, supervised the publication of "Flora Graeca"] thinks Sowerby is not progressing as fast as he might. Suggests new wording for Sowerby's advertisement for a mineralogist.

[Smith's letter to Sowerby]: William Roscoe "as amiable & pleasant as he is accomplished & sensible". His lectures "brilliantly attended", nearly 120 people. His plans for returning to Norwich, [Norfolk]. Sends drawing of 'Hypericum androsaemum' intended for t1225, the first of vol 18 [of "English botany"]; discussion of subjects of next plates.

[Drake's letter to Sowerby]: Has promise of some good specimens of of Canal or Wigan coal but as yet unable to find anywhere selling snuffboxes or other made from this coal. Mineralogy "little pursued" here, doubts finding any collection of ores.

Sends parcel of poplar and alder specimens to sketch, including polar flowers; Sowerby may find the birch near London, and should draw 'Betula nana' from a garden; will send poplar leaves in June from the same trees. Pleased the 'Cyamus' seed was in such good order, what he found agrees with Gaertner's figure. Returns Mr Lewis' letter and scheme of classes, his ideas "sensible but not new". Intends to buy [George] Don's "fasiculi" ["Herb. Britannicum" (1804-1812) ?] through Sowerby, though "out of regard to him only" as there is nothing he wants.

Approves of Sowerby's patterns for "Flora Graeca", though a correction is needed with colouring of 'Bromus'. Sowerby should use one or two of [Archibald] Menzies' species of 'Boronia', if they have retained their colour, for "Exotic botany", the rest to be engraved for Linnean Society. Does not think the patters for "Exotic botany" well coloured, except 'Diuris maculata'. Returns Sowerby's mineralogy manuscript. Sowerby's sketches from Don's specimens "excellent". [James] Crowe approves figure of 'Salix acuminata' in last "English botany"; he paid 6 guineas for Sowerby's microscope.

Returns 6 drawings and two 'Conferva' specimens to be figured as t.2427 and t.2428 [of "English botany"], to finish no.247 June. Also returns Sowerby's "beautiful drawings" for the Duke of Bedford [John Russell, 6th Duke]; difficulty whether to call some 'Mespili' or 'Crataegi'. They intend to arrive back in London shortly.

Concerned to hear Sowerby is ill. Received [Richard] Salisbury's attack on "English botany" yesterday with another "scurrilous" letter; glad to see he praises Sowerby's part of the work. Intends to neither answer Salisbury's letters nor his work, and to return future letters unopened. Defends himself against Salisbury's attack by saying he is the "first English writer who undertook to examine the characters of Linnaeus, & to correct them where [he] found an error", and thus can only be blamed for not bringing them at once to "perfection".

Returns Sowerby's drawing for frontispiece of "Flora Graeca". emphasises that Hudson, Lightfoot and Curtis all copied Linnaeus without correction. Sorry to hear Sowerby is thinking of dropping "Exotic Botany" after its increased sale, reiterates that he is content to wait for his money for this work. Unable to send his specimen of 'Merops apiaster' for Sowerby to draw, so sends drawing of Hooker's. Sends his duplicate of 'Alopecurus fulvus'. Returning various plates for "English botany" and "Exotic botany".

Thanks for drawings and "curious residium of burnt banknotes". Thinks it would be more valuable to keep the copyright of "English botany" as a perpetual source of income rather than selling it. Returning drawings for "English botany" no.244 and "Flora Graeca", finishing the third fasciculus. Has named and returns Sowerby's Labrador plants, except 'Swertia rotata' and true Linnaean 'Campanula uniflora', and his Irish 'Agrostis'. Requests return of German book on fungi. Sends specimens of 'Carex salina' and 'C. ustulata', with another 'Eriophorum' from "indefatigable" George Don.

[Draft of Sowerby's reply, in pencil:] Sends plants and drawings.

Returns 4 drawings with descriptions for no.263 [of "English botany"]. He has heard or done nothing regarding the vacancy at the [British] Museum, and if Sowerby had wished it would have done more for him than anyone else, even though [William] Bingley and his brother, Frederick, applied to him first; the position not to be had "without much exertion", and would be a "place of abject drudgery and dependence", knowing the "domineering & meddling char[acte]r of some of the trustees.

Sends 9 more drawings for "Flora Graeca" and 4 drawings to finish present volume of "English botany"; a "melancholy feeling" at finishing that work. Informed by David Booth George Don's death from putrid sore throat; his family left in poverty; has collected money for them; the family wish to sell the plants in his garden before they are dug up, asks for advice from [James] Dickson and the Andersons; Dawson Turner "very bountiful as usual, to this poor family". [William Jackson] Hooker to be married to Turner's eldest daughter [Maria Sarah (1797-1872)].

[Draft of letter in Sowerby's hand]: relates Don's death and plight of family and seeks recommendations for the family to sell the plants.

[Notes in pencil]: sums of money collected by Smith for Mrs Don.