120 
pose of any of it, I should be happy to become a 
purchaser of what duplicates you may find of British 
plants, at what should be considered as a fair price. 
I should be equally happy to become a purchaser in 
like manner of the duplicates of Hwropean plants. 
Mr. James Edward Smith to Dr. Stokes. 
Dear Sir, London, Sept. 23. 
I ought long ago to have thanked you for your 
letter, and friendly congratulations on my late ac- 
quisition ; you may be assured they were extremely 
acceptable to me; and the principal reason for my 
not replying sooner to your favour was, that I ex- 
pected every day to receive my treasures from Swe- 
den, and I wished, not only to send you some more 
information, but to answer that part of your letter 
in which you speak of purchasing some of the du- 
plicates. As yet they are not arrived; I would not, 
however, be any longer silent, lest you should ac- 
cuse me of inattention to your friendship. At pre- 
sent I have no intention to dispose of any part of 
the collection. I have had several overtures from 
different quarters on this head, but have declined 
entering into any treaty, as I did not purchase the 
collection with that view. On my return from Edin- 
burgh next year, I shall have leisure to examine the 
whole, and hope then to be able to make it of use 
to the scientific world, by removing as much as 
possible some of the doubts and difficulties which 
have always attended inquiries in natural history, 
and which I need not particularize to so experi- 
