Replies to Roscoe's letter of 14 October. Asks Roscoe's experience of subscribing to Boydell's "Shakespeare" on behalf of his friend, Mr Ives of Catton, who has just been served a writ for £100._x000D_

Asks Roscoe to send, via his mother, any new or curious specimens of 'Maranta', 'Canna', or other 'Scitamineae'; has dried a large ['Canna'] Roscoe sent [James] Sowerby and also has 'lutea', 'flaccida' and scarlet one figured in [William] Curtis' "Botanical Magazine" but ignorant of the rest. Thanks for Roscoe's comments on "Exotic botany". Would encourge Roscoe to critique Jussieu's system, though not for the Linnean Society which is "wisely shy of professed controversy", but would appreciate it for his own book. First 3000 specimens of Liverpool [Botanic Garden] herbarium ready except for catalogue and packing._x000D_

His work on [Abraham] Rees' "Cyclopedia": writes botanists' biographies and the physiological and most of the systematical botany, but only acknowledges the articles he thinks worth owning. Second part of "Florae Graecae prodromus" nearly printed. Glad Roscoe saw his cousins, the Kindersleys. Laments "poor Rathbone's state".