Copy of a letter received by Banks from James Wiles and Christopher Smith, 17 December 1792. (Series 52.10) - No. 0001

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H.M.S. Providence in St. Helena Road
Decr. 17th -- 1792

Sir Joseph

We are happy to inform you we arrived at St. Helena this Morning with such a Number of fine healthy Breadfruit and other Plants, as we hope will exceed your most sanguine expectation -- When at the Cape of Good Hope we collected 50 Pots, containing about 200 Plants of Figs, Pomgranates Quinces Vines etc. to carry to Sea with us, we did this to give us some idea what success we might reasonably expect with our Breadfruit Collection, and to see the mal affects Sea Air and change of Climate would have upon them -- We had also raised from Seed 107 Oranges and 20 Lemons, and the Pine Plants we brought from England continued very healthy --

Febry.9th -- we anchor'd in Adventure Bay -- The Cape Plants at this time were remarkable fine, and our principal loss was a Pot of Vine Cuttings which was unfortunately broke by the Sea washing over it -- In this Passage we raised from Seed a few Almonds, several Firs, Oranges, Lemons and Citrons -- We planted in the rising Ground the East side of the Bay 9 Oaks more than 6 [Inch?] high, about 100 yards below these 20 Strawberry Plants, Rosemary and a Spanish Chesnut, near to these in a Valley by a Rivulet of excelent Water 2 Pomgranates, 5 Figs and 2 Quinces: these Situations are near Mr. Nelson's Garden, the only Vestiges remaining of which, is a fine young Apple Tree; we likewise planted Water Cresses and on Penguin Island plenty of  Fir Seed, Almonds, Apricots and Plumb Stones --

There Sir we collected all the Specimens we were able some of which we hope will be new, besides 31 Pots with upwards of 80 Plants of Banksia, Metrocedera, Mimosa, etc.

We left Van Diemans Land Febry 23 and arrived at Otaheite April 9th. The major Part of the Plants continued very healthy, but we had lost some particulary the remaining Pot of Nine Cuttings -- here the Flies were exceeding troublesome, and even destroy'd several young Plants before we could take them on shore -- The number, and different kinds of Plants we left on the Island will shew how successful we were in the cold dissagreable Run from Adventure Bay, they are, 18 Pine Plants, 14 Figs, 2 Pomgranates, 4 Lemons, 1 Guava, 1 Almond (rais'd in the passage) 4 Oranges,

[note by Banks]
March 1st. 1793