Sent sprig of 'Myrtus tomentosa' via [William] Weddell to be drawn by [James] Sowerby, she and Grieg, her gardener, are unclear on it having previously only seen the specimen [Harvey] Spragg gave Smith last year.

Greig is in London to buy corn and would like to hear Smith's lecture; will stand behind a door if necessary. Grieg has had cough again for three weeks and though appetite strong his voice has altered and his face drawn, she believes these are constant indicators of consumption and asks Smith to examine him. Unless the 'Strelitzia' stays out in flower doubts whether she can come to see it.

Smith and his friend should visit on any day acceptable to them but warns neither her plants nor her buffaloes are looking their best; she lost two young bulls so diseased that they were not safe for dissection. Wishes Smith could have seen how Grieg, her gardener, divided 'Helicornia'. 'Ixora coccinca' coming into flower. [James] Lee says the 'Pancratium' [James] Sowerby sketched is the 'P. littorale' in [Nikolaus von] Jacquin and [Georg Dionysius] Ehret [(1708-1770)]. Pleased her 'Justicia' "comes to so much honour in its old age", never saw it flower before and did not know it was unusual.

Expecting [Harvey] Spragg tomorrow, he wanted Smith to come too but Smith prefers a Saturday. Grieg has not got rid of his cough. She has been ill; blistered her stomach and is now better. Would like to see Linnaeus' manuscript.

Invites Smith to come to Hillingdon, [Middlesex], tomorrow to meet a Polish Princess who would like to see her plants. Has a Jamaican plant grown from seed in flower that Grieg, her gardener, knows nothing of.

Glad Smith has returned from Norfolk in good health. The leaves of her two 'Portlandia' differ from sketch in Smith's letter, being perfectly equal at the base, and cannot be certain about 'Hedera'.

Smith mistaken about Mr Wallen's sending of 'Euphorbia' and 'Hedera'; 'E. wallenia' came living from him in 1778, but in memoranda of other Jamaican plants at the same time there is no mention of 'Hedera', although there are several without names. Dr King transcribing her opinions on it and asks Smith to postpone printing his article about the plant till next week. If Smith visits next Sunday he could see 'Lagerstroemia' and Botany Bay plant in flower, the first to do so since they came over.

Memorandum, in different hand [probably Dr King], on the introduction of 'Hedera' to England, from the recollections of gardener at Wentworth, [Yorkshire], who had been at Wimbledon on its arrival, a few years before 1780.

Apologises for any trouble Smith had with her style and titles in dedicating his book to her ["Icones pictae plantarum rariorum.."]. Dr Pictairn and [James] Lee visited yesterday. Asks if [Richard] Salisbury remembers seeing blue lily in flower on visit of five years ago and what sort of leaves and bulb it had.

Urges Smith to come early in order to see her large 'Portlandia', which now has twelve flowers in flower, and to bring [Jonas] Dryander and [Adam Afzelius].

Sent [James] Sowerby flower of 'Myrtus tomentosa', which he is painting life sized for her "in its full dignity of royal purple", it flowers "for ever" but they turn white after a few days in sun. Astonished by how much the 'Passiflora' in her hothouse has flowered, called "the Bats wing" by herself and 'P. vespertilio' by [Samuel] Goodenough, resembles the one in Smith's ["Icones pictae plantarum rariorum...", 'Passiflora lunata']; will send pressed flower, fresh flower and leaves for comparison, notes her own observations. Loddiges sent it as true 'Passiflora vespertilio' with two 'Cinnamomum', one which Loddiges insists is the true and the other the same as Mr Hastings', a mango, and white flower variety of 'Rhododendron mexicana'.

Jokes that she will soon be King's Bench Prison [debtors' prison in Southwark, London] where she "shall look for relief to some of my botanical friends".

Will let Smith decided whether her gift of ["Icones pictae plantarum rariorum.."] for [Edmund] Davall should be the large or small copy. Her 'Portlandia', in addition to the 17 flowers Smith saw on it at once, keeps flowering without signs of exhaustion and has two fruits swelling on it, though most are not, asks in what state he would like to inspect them. Asks after [James] Sowerby's drawings of 'Portlandia' and 'Myrtus tomentosa' for her.

Requests copy of lesser sized ["Icones pictae plantarum rariorum.."] for herself with both English and Latin, and Duchess of Portland [Dorothy Bentinck], Mrs [Elizabeth] Weddell, and [William Fitzwilliam, 4th Earl] Fitzwilliam [(1748-1833)] will also want copies.

Declined Mr Bromfield's drawings as Smith's information on 'Coralline' was decisive and is out of her area of interest. Much more inclined to send [Edmund] Davall the larger copy of Smith's ["Icones pictae plantarum rariorum.."].

Offers her hothouse 'Gordonia pubescens' to be drawn by [James] Sowerby; notices that Linnaeus and Kew place 'Gordonia' under different classes, hers seems 'Monogynia' but inside of flower resembles 'Camelia'. Lightning and distant thunder yesterday evening.

'Gordonia pubescens' dropped off this morning and was examined, sends principle part of flower. The new 'Geranium' in her stove which Smith pointed out is coming into flower, suggests that [James] Sowerby sketch it. Requests copies of Sowerby's "Florist" to circulate in Yorkshire.

Requests introduction to [John] Fairbairn for her gardener, Grieg, to see Chelsea [Physic Garden] plants and the 'Heleconia' coming into flower, and for him to view Smith's Linnaean collections. Hopes [Joseph von] Jacquin will stay in England this winter "for I should think the troubles at Paris must interrupt all science, as well as pleasure", and if he stays till summer will arrange for him to visit her, Bulstrode [Park, Buckinghamshire, home of Duke of Portland], and Mrs North's and [Charles Bennet, 4th Earl of] Tankerville's [(1743-1822)] collections.

'Myrtus tomentosa' about to flower, will tell Smith for his book as it has never been figured ["Icones pictae plantarum rariorum..."]. Would like to see painting of 'Aralia' before given to Jacquin for his father [Nikolaus von Jacquin]; it is very tall and flowered on three branches this year compared to last year's five.

As she knows that "Doct[o]r Smith's memory retains ever plant that he ever saw, or ever read of" asks her to identify plant in her pine hothouse in kitchen garden just now come into flower, sends specimen of flowers and leaf for [James] Sowerby to paint if rare, in similar style to the 'Catesbaea' he did for her.

"The Home Oracle" agreed with her that the 'Gordonia' is correctly placed in "Hortus Kewensis" and also concurred on its resemblance to 'Camelia' in part of flower; asks Smith to explain his separation of the two "sister 'Gordonias'. Uncertain if her new 'Geranium' will flower. Asks Sowerby to directly send the two numbers of his "Florist". Thinks Sowerby's small work mentioned by Smith "would be very pleasing" ["English Botany"] but as it would feature English plants fears it would interfere with [William] Curtis' ["Botanical magazine"] and the "great work of English plants".

Looking forward to Smith and [Richard] Salisbury's visit on Monday from Bulstrode [Park, Buckinghamshire, home of Duke of Portland]. Hopes weather will be more settled after the "truly tremendous & extraordinary storm we had here from four o'clock till past six this morning". Fears lack of sunshine will have affeteced her hothouse plants. Asks Smith to bring his first volume of [Sir Hans] Sloane's [(1660-1753), physician and collector] "[Voyage to] Jamaica" for figure of "that little plant". Thanks for seeds and directions to plant figure in L'Héritier.

Returns and apologises for keeping Smith's copy of [Hans] Sloane's "[Voyage to] Jamaica" for so long and sends specimen of "provoking grass" for identification; it was grown from Jamaican seeds last year and is now almost taller than her pine hothouse. Her great 'Portlandia' is flowering again and has been doing so ten months out of twelve. Mrs [Elizabeth] Weddell admires Smith's ["Icones pictae plantarum rariorum..."]; requests the smaller sized one. Affected very much by the "variable uncommon weather". Her 'Moraea northiana' about to flower.

Sending flower and account of another [unspecified] via Grieg, her gardener. They have discovered that 'Datura aborea' does not fully open till 11 o'clock at night and is asking [James] Sowerby to stay all night to draw it; expects Smith has seen it at [Richard] Salisbury's or at Kew but invites him, too. Smith's 'Dombeya' has "a little delicate sort of flower" and 'Murraya' about to flower. Pleased by the looks of all her plants, "they are crowded to death".

Surprised to find sprig of thyme in Smith's tin box sent via Harrison after expecting 'Hortensia'.

Pleased Smith and [Richard] Salisbury are visiting tomorrow as plant recommended to Smith's attention by [Edmund] Davall is likely to be in flower. Thanks Salisbury for the plants he is bringing for her.

Postscript mentioning 'Datura aborea' [truncated due to corner of page being torn out].

Awkwardness of following up [Richard] Salisbury's recommendation of a servant by the Bishop of Bristol [Christopher Wilson]; his duties.

Asks after the "poor frightened puppy" Smith took with him and requests that Smith's servants do not tutor it "for they have seldom much feeling about living creatures, and none at all if they are troublesome, or dirty in the house".

Watson-Wentworth writes on 2 December: Still waiting for information from [Richard] Salisbury on the servant he recommended to take Crabb's place. Received box of Botany Bay seeds but did not let [Harvey] Spragg take any to show Smith as he should see the whole contents. Sorry to hear of Dr Pictairn' death , she only met him once.

Watson-Wentworth writes on 3 December: Received letter from Salisbury stating that sevrant he recommended does not wish to leave his current position. Found 'Passiflora suberosum' in flower for first time this morning and as she is uncertain whether this is common will send [James] Sowerby a specimen for painting; along with 'Corsiopsis' on vellum will compliment his drawing of 'Catesbaea'. Has not heard from Sowerby regarding dimensions of 'Datura' and fears he does too much at once.

Sends letter for [John] White [(1757-1832), surgeon in New South Wales] to be forwarded by Mr Wilson. Nut drawn in Smith's letter is amongst the seeds she received from White in New South Wales; Smith has "a neat way of punishing stingy people by withholding the name" and if it is the same as that brought by Mr Hoye to his house thinks it is unknown.

Repeats questions whether 'Passiflora suberosa' commonly flowers and if it has been painted. Pities Smith and his "little Italian" [François Borone] on their missing dog; her own "little old favourite" has "a most dreadful cough like the distemper". Still looking for a servant to take Crabb's place and asks after Mr Smershall, an apothecary in Portman Street, [London], who has given her a recommendation. Hopes [Richard] Salisbury's sister will recover.

Invites Smith to see her 'Amaryllis capensis' in flower; Crabb brought it from Holland as a bulb and neither Smith nor any other botanist have any knowledge of it, urged [James] Sowerby to draw it. She is very unwell and in addition to losing her domestic servants her favourite dog has died. Grass also ready for inspection by Smith.