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April 8. 1803.
Mr. Caley
I have receivd the Boxes you have sent to me & have carefully laid up the parcel of dried Plants in one of them markd Caley I very much approve of your collecting for yourself a Herbarium that may be of use to you when you return & will take as much care of the Plants you send home for yourself as of those intended for me.
The Seeds you have sent to me have been carefully put up & diligently collected several of them from parts of the Country which have not been frequented by our people will I am sure produce Plants that will do you credit they are all in Kew Gardens & kept separate that you may have the credit from their success which you certainly deserve.
The Skins of Birds came also in excellent condition this however was much owing to the method Govr King adopted & which you objected to of putting Slips of Paper Tarrd over all Joints of the Boxes; in Boxes so prepard I have never found Cock Roaches in all that are left unprepard this Vermin abounds & prove very destructive.
I have receivd also the Gums you have sent home at two different times it proves fit & proper for the Callico Printers use & is worth about £5 a hundred weight if the gathering of it could be managed by the Natives it would be an object of Importation as the price of £100 a Ton would easily pay even for the heavy freight home I fear however that Gum must continue to be brought from the Forests of Africa where it is collected by the Black People whose time is of little value to them & consequently their labor cheap.