Thanks for turkey. Surprised that [John] White has not yet sent Smith his "Description of the genus Pinus", [William George] Maton has complained of the same, but those now being printed are on much better paper. Paid £130 for Surinam collection with [Edward] Rudge, it contains 3000 plants. Believes it contains all of [Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée] Aublet's [(1720-1778) French botanist] plants and hundreds not described by him. Specimens inlcude 'Portlandia hexandra', 'Gustavia augusta', 'Gustavia fastuosa', 'Styrax bengain', 'Dipterix odorata', and 'Siphoria elatica'.

Smith about to receive copy of "A description of the genus Pinus" which is far superior to the earlier copies. Occupied with the Cayenne plants [Lambert purchased collections gathered in South America by Jospeh Martin and captured by English privateers], "never was such a collection ever before imported". Contains about 1700 species with no old plants except for those of [Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée] Aublet [(1720-1778) French botanist]. Five new species of 'Roupala' and five or six of 'Myristica'. Reminds Smith he is still looking for scarcer species of willow.

Marquess of Blandford's [George Spencer-Churchill] collections will be "more worth seeing that any private collection in this country", discusses Blandford's enthusiasm for botany. Blandford has sixteen men working in his botanic garden. Mentions Blandford having written the "History of the 'Nymphae lotus'" in last number of [Henry Charles] Andrews' "Botanists' Repository", figured from his aquarium where it flowered for first time in England. 'Dammera' arrived at Kew with "the China treasures". Received 500 species of dried plants from Cape [of Good Hope] including sixty-one 'Protea', and capsules of 'Ochroma lagopus' from island of Nevis, from which he has raised thirteen plants, [William Townsend] Aiton is anxious to have it at Kew. "Little John from Van Diemen Land [Tasmania]" has a cargo for him. Asks after "the British Garden" and "Flora Graeca".