Peter Collinson uses what he thinks will be the last ship of the season and sends Linnaeus a book [Collinson refers to Thomas Short, Medicina Britannica], which John Bartram in Pennsylvania had sent as a gift to Linnaeus. At its end, Linnaeus can see Bartram’s additions to the work on American plants.
Collinson also sends Linnaeus some reports on observations made by The Earl of Bute [John Stuart] [Lord Bute to Collinson, 4 August 1753{L5477} and 10 August 1753{L5478}]. They are in Bute’s handwriting, and the first is on Menispermum. Bute has it in his garden, but its characteristics are quite different from that in Johann Jacob Dillenius, Hortus Elthamensis.
Then, Linnaeus will find Lord Bute’s descriptions of Cytisus and Colutras. Linnaeus will understand why new descriptions are needed, and Lord Bute does not think any of the names given to these plants is sufficiently expressive.
Lord Bute has also made some remarks on an Apocinon with purple flowers that is 15 feet high in Collinson’s garden. Collinson also encloses a specimen of its flowers.
Collinson again returns to the matter of the missing payment for the volume by Mark Catesby and mentions that he has already written two letters to Linnaeus [Collinson to Linnaeus, 8 May 1753{L1592}, 26 June 1753{L1598} about it. The letters were given to Peter Borgström to be mailed, so Linnaeus must have received them [see Borgström to Linnaeus, 16 August, 1753{L1633}]. Collinson is very anxious to hear from Linnaeus and to have the issue settled.
In the first of these letters, Collinson had told Linnaeus that he had been unanimously elected a member of the Royal Society.
Collinson was very glad to see the first volume of Species plantarum, and he congratulates Linnaeus on it. He wishes God will let Linnaeus finish the work.