Pehr Kalm writes this joint letter to Linnaeus and Sten Carl Bielke in haste; a ship will leave in less than two hours, and before that he must also write to Abraham Spalding in London. Kalm hopes that Linnaeus and Bielke have received his letters from Canada and New York. In his letter from New York he explained why he had decided to stay another year in America. As the the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences [Kungliga Svenska Vetenskapsakademien] had not guaranteed money for a prolonged stay, Spalding was unwilling to forward money to Kalm. Linnaeus’s and Bielke’s letter of July 1748, in which they promised money for him, did not impress him. Circumstances have now forced Kalm to ask Spalding to lend him 60 pounds. Peter Kock, whom Spalding had instructed to advance money to Kalm, according to his needs, died suddenly. His heirs did not know anything about this agreement and refused to give money to Kalm, which worsened his situation. In the meantime he was helped economically by Anna Margareta Sandin, widow of late Johan Sandin, who has lent Kalm money until Spalding sends more. When Kalm came back to Philadelphia, he received Linnaeus’s letter of 16 March [this letter has not come down to us] that contained wonderful news. What a relief to him that the Academy of Sciences now supports a prolonged sojourn in America! He will send a copy of it to Spalding, and then his financial problems will be over. Kalm is grateful for Linnaeus’s advice and reminders. Polygala, or rattlesnake root, is not available; it is only found from Virginia and south, but he has asked John Clayton to send seeds and roots. Nor does Laurus, called benzoin, grow in these latitudes. Liquidambar is called ”Sweet gum” by the English and Diospyros, it grows in the woods where there is stagnant water. Liquidambar yields small quantities of a fragrant resin. Linaneus has written that the Academy of Sciences wants Kalm to go to Hudson Bay. This is almost impossible to do: 1. No ships go there from where Kalm lives, 2. The Eskimo living there kill everybody who ventures to come near them, 3. All reports agree that it is five time worse than Lapland; people there live on meat and berries. Nor does Kalm want to be scalped by the Indians which now happens all the time, according to the newspapers. The temperature is 10-13 below zero in the morning and 9-10 at noon. What, then, will it be like up there in the north? Finally, Kalm cannot go there without a pass from the King of France [Louis XV].
Soon a ship will depart with lots of seeds and a report to the Academy of Sciences, and more will follow in the spring, because of safety reasons Kalm will spread his findings on different ships.