The first part of the letter is a copy of Peter Collinson’s letter to Jacob Theodor Klein, [Collinson to Klein, 6 March 1758{L5480}]. It deals mainly with the issue of the hibernation of swallows.
After this text, Collinson asks Linnaeus to have the letter translated into Swedish and read to the Royal Society of Sciences at Uppsala [Kungliga Vetenskaps-Societeten i Uppsala], where Collinson is a member. Collinson hopes that the report could bring forward some reliable witnesses to the facts in this matter, which would have greater weight than the reports of simple farmers and fishermen.
Collinson sends a box meant for Peter Borgström, who could translate Collinson’s text into Swedish.
Collinson is very glad that Patrick Browne’s specimens have reached Linnaeus [Collinson refers to the Jamaican Herbarium collected by Browne, and purchased by Linnaeus], as Linnaeus told him in his letter of July 19 [this letter has not come down to us], and that Linnaeus was very pleased to have them. Collinson is sending a box and a paper package with a specimen of Richard Warner’s Jessamine [Gardenia florida; see also Warner to Linnaeus, 15 July 1758{L2372}] by Captain Fisher [Johan J. Fischer] in Stockholm, which he hopes could please Linnaeus.
Collinson is glad at Linnaeus’s success with Nitraria or Cassia poetica.
Collinson is surprised to hear that Browne is in Portugal.
Collinson asks Linnaeus to send him Fredrik Hasselquist’s travel report [Collinson refers to Iter Palaestinum eller resa til heliga landet].
Collinson has paid John Ellis two guineas.
Philip Miller encloses a package, which Collinson has put inside the box.