
          Edinburgh June 30th 1823


 Dear Sir


 As a fellow amateur of botany and by
 the advice of my friend Mr. Greville I take the liberty of
 proposing to enter into a botanical correspondence with you.
 I have been now some time established at Montpellier in the
 South of France and purpose [propose] returning there in the course
 of a few weeks. If you have not yet any correspondent in that
 part of Europe I should esteem myself happy in forwarding to
 you any Alpine Pyrenoean or Corsican and perhaps Spanish plants
 besides those growing in the immediate neighbourhood of Montpellier
 a country rich in rare and beautifull plants. I am also within a
 few miles of the commencement of the Cevennes a rich chain of mountains
 extending almost to the center of France. American plants
 of any kind would be very valuable to me in that country should
 you think it worth while to enter into any course of exchange with
 me. In this case I should beg the favor of hearing from you what
 are the plants you would particularly wish for from the countries
 I have mentioned and I will take care to forward them speedily.
 Bordeaux would I suppose be the most convenient port for
 this purpose and anything sent there directed to Monsieur
 George Bentham [added: � Montpellier] aux soins de Messrs [Messieurs] Lajeune [Princing?] et
 ca negocians � Bordeaux would be sure to reach me. I would
        