Sending this letter with Smith's mother. Committee of Liverpool Botanic Garden has accepted Smith's offer of duplicate Linnaean herbarium. The same Committee also carried his other proposal to send John Bradbury on a botanical exploration of Louisiana and the great branches of the Mississippi for three years; he is to take his two sons of 21 or 22 years old, one to accompany him in his travels and the other to be at a garden in New Orleans cultivating the plants and sending them live to England; asks for Smith's advice to make the most of the opportunity, in return Bradbury will get Smith anything he wants from America. Bradbury leaving in two or three months.

Replies to Smith's letter of 17 November; he is in the same situation as Mr Ives respecting Boydell's Shakespeare; his experience._x000D_

[John] Shepherd [(c 1764-1836, curator Liverpool Botanic Garden] is to supply Smith with specimens of all 'Canna' and 'Marauta' in [Liverpool Botanic] Garden; sends drawings of two 'Canna' and a 'Maranta arundinacea' with dissection of flower, to be returned._x000D_

Linnean Society right to avoid controversy, but the object of his enquiry would be to compare the [Linnaeus and Jussieu] systems and not to detract from their merits. His current interests, including acquisition of new prints and drawings, and perusal of works of Abate [Luigi] Lanzi [(1732-1810, Italian art historian], just returned by [Henry] Fuseli [(1741-1825), painter]. Intends to look at Smith's work for [Abraham] Rees' "Cyclopedia". Sorry to not have become better acquainted with the Kindersleys whilst they were in Lancashire.