Hooker's letters of 30 Mar and 14 Dec have just reached Ford. He is delighted at the good news that, through the valuable aid from RBG Kew, it has been decided that an assistant should be sent out to him. He would be glad to send seeds to Professor MacOwan of the Capetown [Cape Town] Botanic Gardens and hopes in return to get some seeds of the Leucadendron. Ford cannot send Hooker seeds of the Glyptostrobus this year: the Chinese say they have none, as it only seeds every other year. Ford has just written to his friend Mr Sampson of Canton [Guangzhou] asking him to try to ascertain if this is true. Page 1 of 3.