My dear Sir

I shall deem it a privilege if I can be of any service to you in your very interesting investigations of Drosera. Herewith I forward some pure carbonate of soda (which I prefer to carbonate of ammonia) and if you will wash the glands in about 20 grams of it dissolved in 1 oz. of distilled water, I will do my best to discover what the solvent you mention consists of.¹ I fear it will be necessary to wash a very large number of leaflets, say 8 oz. or so, to get a sufficiently concentrated solution.²

I should not think muriatic acid probable, but possibly formic, acetic, oxalic or lactic acid may be present.³ However we must not prejudge the case.

Believe me | Yours sincerely | E. Frankland