Dear Sir

I want to beg some assistance from you.

I procured a few grains of an immense number of salts of all the alkalis & earths from Mess^rs Hopkin & Williams, & they charged me at such an extremely low rate, that I am ashamed to ask them to supply me again.¹

Would you oblige me by procuring from any trustworthy source the salts in the enclosed list?² I am much out of health, & if you w^d make solutions of these salts in doubly distilled water, at the rate of two grains to two ounces of water, weighing the salts & measuring the water with great care, & charging me for all the unusual care, this w^d be a great assistance to me.

I specify doubly distilled water because the plant on which I am experimenting, is certainly acted on by less than one millionth of a grain of phosphate of ammonia.

I enclose a list of the salts & 2 acids. I sh^d like all the salts to be formed by the same acid, if as I believe, the nitrates of all are soluble. Chlorides w^d do, or indeed any other salt.

I hope my request will not be too troublesome & I remain dear Sir | yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin