Linnaeus’s widespread reputation among all scholars had led to the fact that Jacob Nicolai Wilse had heard of Linnaeus and enjoyed Linnaeus’s works already at the beginning of his studies at the University of Copenhagen in 1759. Tycho Holm [Jörgen Tyge Holm ] had been his teacher in botany. Unfortunately, Holm had died just as he was going to publish his Flora Daniae [this work was published as "Fortegnelse över danske planter" in Den Danske Atlas, published by Erik Pontoppidan]. Wilse had continued his studies of botany and other subjects, hoping that he would eventually find some facility in his native country Norway to make experiments in botany, agriculture, horticulture and physics among other things. For some years, Wilse had various positions in Denmark and among other things taught mathematics to some Russian noblemen, one of them Prince de Kurakin Alexander Borisovich Kurakin, under the auspices of De Saldern [presumably Caspar von Saldern]. At last, in 1768, Wilse could take over a clerical position in the parish of Spydberg, situated between Kristiania and Fredrikshald. Now, in the first spring he is there, Wilse is planning to establish a small botanical garden with plants that can stand the climate of southern Norway, which is about the same as that of Uppsala. He was for some time uncertain whom he could approach to obtain suitable plants but found it most convenient to apply to the greatest, and also the nearest, source available. In confidence of Linnaeus’s generosity, Wilse now asks Linnaeus for seeds of plants belonging to the Siberian or the Canadian flora or having special quality in economy, beauty or scarcity, which grow outdoors in the garden of Uppsala. He mentions eight examples of such plants. In addition, since Wilse has recently become a member of the Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters [Det Kongelige Norske Videnskabers Selskab] led by Johan Ernst Gunnerus he knows that he will work rather much with rare or useful plants in the future, so he asks Linnaeus also for rare or remarkable exotic plants in general. Wilse does not know how he will be able to do Linnaeus services in return, so he just promises that he will, for the rest of his life, do all he can to fulfill any requests that Linnaeus will make to him.
P.S. Wilse remarks that Linnaeus can use Swedish, French or Latin, if he sends an answer. He also gives his address, formulated in French.