Her misfortunes: financial plights of herself and her children, emotional turmoil caused by death of her favourite daughter. Seeks employment to draw and colour plates for Smith's next "magnificent" work of natural history.

Recounts his recent movements between Bath, Haford, and London, where he was called to prevent the destruction of all the timber at Croft, which Smith may have seen advertised, but failed. Saw Sir Joseph Banks this morning. Received from Dr [James] Anderson "a lock of the golden fleece" which he supposes Smith has accounts of in the papers; it is "very curious & just the colour of raw silk, a high gold colour".