Praises Lady Smith for developing new method for copying paper portraits, discusses further. Remembers Corrêa [de Serra] well and often listened to him at Sir Joseph Banks'. A York bookseller will get him Smith's "Grammar of Botany" and ["A selection of the correspondence of Linnaeus..."] when published.
Mild winter: does not remember a milder one, thermometer has not been lower than 31°F and fears vegetation will "suffer from being too far forward"; peach buds are swelling and cucumbers are in rough leaf. Snow at Gordon Castle in last few days, received two plants of 'Menziesia caerulea' procured from Inverness, one placed in bog earth with 'Rhodendra' and other potted and both look well so far. Duke of Gordon also sent quill feathers of the supposed female woodcock, enclosed [not extant]; has written to Ireland for further opinion.
Had rent day yesterday and remitted 10 per cent on land, "such are the bad times for farmers that I rather think I did too little, however they were well pleased". Requests recommendation for more recent "Genera plantarum" than Linnaei 1767. Encloses his pamphlet [extant] titled "On the Winchester Bushel", which "has nearly given the finishing stroke to our Country bushel".