Informed of Smith's illness by his "new & valuable correspondent", [James] Brodie. Regrets that any dispute "should have arisen with a man who having proved himself capable of premeditated, & continued, deceit must have ever remained a charatcer for mistrust" [presumably a reference to Richard Salisbury's dispute with Smith]. Recommended Loudon to Mr Price of Foxley as he was going into that neighbourhood, but Price objects to much of Loudon's book.

Wrote paper for Linnean Society testifying [William] Hudson's "Flora Anglica" in response to so many of the marine plants in "English Botany" not conforming with Hudson's. Received 'Pyrola uniflora', the last he wanted, from Brodie. His only botanical neighbour, Archdeacon Pierson, has died of pleurisy in very bad circumstances; his herbarium of 1500 English and 2000 exotic dried plants on paper 18 inches by 12 to be sold at York, he would always go back and improve his specimens whenever he found better.

Asks Smith's opinon of value of his late neighbour Archdeacon Pierson's herbarium, due to be sold in York, comprised of 1745 British plants, 866 exotic, 130 miscellaneous, and 25 Corallines, on paper 18 inches by 11, finically neat and luxuriant, with each order arranged in a neat portfolio-like case encased in spacious wainscot chest. Smith previously valued a larger herbarium at £30, hopeful for similar value.

Has been examining mosses and pleased with Smith's genera and English names, especially preservation of [William] Hudson's specific names even when obliged to alter the genus.

Lady Frankland's sister, Mrs Courtney, died of a pleuritic cold last Christmas and her husband shortly followed her, dying of a "broken heart" "literally & anatomically". Archdeacon Pierson's herbarium still unsold and his collection of 800 portrait prints, including "semi-caricatures of Dr Cullen, & other Scotch physicians, & men of eminence" will be be sold in London.

Had difficulties securing hotel rooms in London for this spring which shows "how popular this kind of residence is become".

'Ulva rubra' just figured in "English Botany" is definitely the plant [William] Hudson named to him. Anxious to hear whether rumours of [James] Brodie's death are true or not. Archdeacon Pierson's herbarium did not sell so is now to be raffled with sixty guinea tickets. Bad harvest weather.

Apologises for the passage in his paper ["On the marine plants described in the Flora Anglica"] which referred to Mr [Lilly?] Wigg [(1749-1829), clerk in Dawson Turner's bank] and was "confessedly to produce a laugh"; suggests how the passage could be removed and additions to be made if it is printed.

Recent weather: snow followed by rain. Norfolk "a most unpleasant state from [political] contest", some details. His brother, now in the Admiralty, will frank letters for Smith.