Prevented by his poor health and incessant occupations from joining the Smiths at Holkham, [Norfolk, home of Thomas William Coke].

Asks Smith's opinion of most recent parts of his "Monandrain Plants", particularly the descriptions. His greatest difficulty has been acquiring species of 'Amomum'; none have flowered [at Liverpool Botanic Garden]; asks if there are any in the drawings Smith received from Dr [Francis] Hamilton for "Exotic Botany". Settled the boundary between 'Maranta' and 'Phrynium', excluding [Georg Friedrich Wilhelm] Meyer's 'Calathea' which he has included in 'Phrynium', though notes that [John] Lindley [(1799-1865), botanist] is trying to establish it in new edition of "Bot. Reg." and Sprengel also recognises it.