Concerned to hear Sowerby is ill. Received [Richard] Salisbury's attack on "English botany" yesterday with another "scurrilous" letter; glad to see he praises Sowerby's part of the work. Intends to neither answer Salisbury's letters nor his work, and to return future letters unopened. Defends himself against Salisbury's attack by saying he is the "first English writer who undertook to examine the characters of Linnaeus, & to correct them where [he] found an error", and thus can only be blamed for not bringing them at once to "perfection".
Returns Sowerby's drawing for frontispiece of "Flora Graeca". emphasises that Hudson, Lightfoot and Curtis all copied Linnaeus without correction. Sorry to hear Sowerby is thinking of dropping "Exotic Botany" after its increased sale, reiterates that he is content to wait for his money for this work. Unable to send his specimen of 'Merops apiaster' for Sowerby to draw, so sends drawing of Hooker's. Sends his duplicate of 'Alopecurus fulvus'. Returning various plates for "English botany" and "Exotic botany".