Balfour expresses her hope that the Highland and Agricultural Society gives him a grant to continue his experiments and thanks Ewart for accepting her financial assistance. She goes on to discuss the 'infection' of telegony and the positioning of animal markings and gradations in colour on zebras and horses.

Hope thanks Ewart for his letter concerning the chestnuts (callosities) on the pony 'Vulcan' and 'Odin' and confirms that the pony 'Thorean' has no sign of hind chestnuts or ergots. She reports that they were much taken with Ewart's yellow Highland pony's colour at the show.

Dykes offers his opinions on what horses are best to cross with, choosing the modern Hackney and an Arab Highland cross. He says he will inform Ewart about the white maned mare which belongs to a carting contractor whose stables are in Portobello.

There is also a copy, in Dykes' hand, of the programme for the Highland and Agricultural Society, Inverness Show, 1839 and a copy of a letter to Dykes on behalf of Lord Lovat about a pony stallion 'Alan Kingsburgh'.