Sends catalogue of plants [possibly "Catalogus Horti. Regii. Botanici. Landishuthi Bojurum 1810"], offers to send any plants Smith desires.
Has dedicated his history of botany to Smith ["Anleitung zum grundlichen Studium der Botanik"]. He has written it as an up to date version of [Kurt] Sprengel's similar work, but in German rather than Latin. [Johann Jacob] Römer [(1763-1819), Swiss physician and botanist] to send Smith first volume of their new edition of Linnaeus' "Systema vegetabilium"; remarks on the increase in sheets needed to take in new discoveries and explains some of the plan. Has been asked to translate Smith's "Introduction to Physiological and Systematical Botany"; asks if there any remarks he would like to add. Offers to send alpine seeds.
Relates history of his edition of Linnaeus' "Systema vegetabilium" produced with [Johann Jacob] Römer [(1763-1819), Swiss physician and botanist] and others, asks Smith to give his blessing to the project and join in the defence against the rival natural systems of [Antoine Laurent de] Jussieu and [Augustin Pyramus] Decandolle. Asks for Smith's advice on the sixth volume, which will include the 'Umbelliferae' and 'Pentandria'.
Smith "the only orthodox botanist in Europe" and the "Lord-Treasurer of Botany", on account of his possession of the Linnaean collections. Compliments Smith's "Introduction to Botany", which he has translated into German, on allowing him to save the blushes of virgins when explaining the sexual system in his lectures. Bemoans proliferation of "poets" in botany who are either ignorant of the grammar of the science or of Greek and Latin. The struggle to maintain the Linnaean sexual system as the premier natural system in Germany. Asks what happened to the publication of [Abraham] Rees' "Cyclopedia". Discusses his adherence to Linnaean nomenclature. Asks for Smith's assistance in obtaining a Calcutta correspondent.
Received Smith's letter of 23 April. Thanks for Smith's "Grammar of Botany", his son, Jules [Julius Hermann Schultes], plans to translate it into German. Has bought Palestinian, Cretan, and Egyptian plant collections from [Franz Wilhelm] Sieber.
Sending fifth and sixth volumes of his "Systema vegetabilium" for Smith. Smith will become the "British botanical Socrates" with his "English Flora", extravagantly compliments Smith. His son has translated Smith's "Grammar of Botany" into German. Horror at the "deplorable confusion of philosophical & theological systems hovering now on the continent". [Franz Wilhelm] Sieber's travels and antiquarian and botanical collections. Count Sternberg has received remainder of [Thaddäus] Haenke's herbarium. [Carl Friedrich Philipp von] Martius publishing descriptions of species he collected in Brazil, starting with the palms. Forthcoming botanical publications by Lehman, Reichenbach, and [Augustin Pyramus] Decandolle's "Prodromus".