Linnaeus has not heard from Domenico Vandelli for a long time and wants news.
Linnaeus has been disturbed by his age, his bad health and his official duties.
Especially, Linnaeus wants to hear how far Vandelli’s work on the flora has progressed [Linnaeus refers to Vandellis work with the Florae lusitanicae et brasiliensis specimen]. Vandelli is the only one to know that. Linnaeus asks if anything has been published yet or when it is to be expected.
Linnaeus has published his second Mantissa [Linnaeus refers to the Mantissa plantarum altera, 2nd ed. published in 1771] with Sisymbium parra, the seeds of which were supplied by Vandelli.
Linnaeus gives a list of the whereabouts of his disciples: Anders Sparrman is in the Cape of Good Hope region Carl Peter Thunberg is in Japan, Daniel Solander, Gadnius [presumably Henrik Gahn, who later rejected the proposal made by Joseph Banks and Solander to join them on their intended second voyage and never visited Australia] and Bertinus [Anders Berlin, who travelled to Guinea] visit the new Australian continent. Gmelin the Younger [Samuel Gottlieb Gmelin] is in Persia, Peter Simon Pallas is in Tartaria, José Celestino Mútis is in Mexico, Johan Gerhard König is in Tranquebar.
Pehr Forsskål’s work on the Arabic plants [Flora aegyptica-arabica], and Daniel Rolanders’ on the plants of Surinam, are ready to be printed [nothing came out of this]. Nicolaus Joseph, baron von Jacquin is publishing an illustrated work on the plants of the botanical garden in Vienna [Linnaeus refers to the Hortus botanicus Vindobonensis] and on the rare plants of Austria [Linnaeus refers to Jacquin’s planned work Florae Austriacae, sive plantarum selectarum].