Confirms that a 'Hieracium' found last August by Travis in Scarborough not like any in "English Botany" appears to be 'Hieracium prenanthoides' in "English Botany", will bring specimen to London. His son returned from five weeks hunting in Leicestershire. Visited Sir Joseph Banks at Revesby Abbey, Lincolnshire, last October, where there was uncommonly good hunting but he hurt his leg. The 'Glaucium fulvum' grown from Smith's seeds "the most desireable plant" of its kind he knows and has distributed the seed as an acquisition to every garden. Banks "particularly well" though everyone alarmed about the gout medicine he has started taking; Duke of Gordon informed it is 'Gratida' which a medical friend of his gives with success, and having looked at Lewis' "Materia medica" the effects of 'Gratida' agree exactly with those of "Can medicinale".

Fears recent keen frost has injured apricot crop and hurt vines but successful with kale having had pots made with covers as proposed in note in "Hort. Trans", the convenience in examining plants very great. Frustrated that [Lewis Weston] Dillwyn [(1778-1855)] still has his 'Conferva' drawings two years after requesting their return.

Visited his childhood home in Berkshire whilst staying with Mr C Dundas. Raw weather [at Thirkleby] but crops are forward and hay making is already underway and a good crop of backward grapes under glass, though there are no apples and hardly any pears, peaches, or nectarines compared to usual. Discusses strawberries: plans to raise them from seed; wrote to Dundas for some "fine hautboys" which he plans to alternate with pines, "as recommended by the French", though he has failed in the past with hautboys. His fruit trees showing symptoms of age not only for themselves "but my Scotch gardener".

He and Mr [Hugh] Davies identify same plant for [William] Hudson's 'C. nigra'. Has not heard of Mr Di in London. Smith's 'Glaucium fulvum' still in flower and some plants from last year's seed have yellow petals, it is a very hardy plant easily raised and transplanted, "a very desireable acquisition". Last autumn received seeds of a "green fleshed melon from Egypt" from Archbishop of York [Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt (1757-1847)] but it has not successfully cropped yet, though at Bishopthorpe [Palace, near York,]"they are considered as superior to all others" with a very rind thin and a green coloured transparent flesh, bears no comparison to the orange cantalope. Received 'Nuphar minima' seeds from [James] Brodie which he will sow "properly sunk, in some pool".

Suffered more "perspirations and fatigue" this shooting season than in any other. Sir Stephen [8th Baronet (1780-1815)] and Lady [Mary] Glynne visited recently. His brother quartered at Brighton, [Sussex]. Received haunch of buck venison from [Alexander Gordon, 4th] Duke of Gordon [(1743-1827)], his stag venison not good but [John Murray, 4th] Duke of Atholl's [(1755-1830)] "said to be often excellent".