ɪn wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd ˈeɪthˈʌndɹɪd θˈɜːɾi fˈaɪv, hiː dʒˈɔɪnd ɐ fˈɛloʊ kwˈeɪkɚ nˈeɪmd ɹˈɑːbɚt fˈɑːstɚɹ ˌɔn ɐ tɹˈɪp tə ðə juːnˈaɪɾᵻd stˈeɪts, ænd wˌaɪl ðɛɹ ɹˈoʊt ɐ sˈɪɹiz ʌv lˈɛɾɚz ðæt ɐpˈɪɹd ɪnðɪ ɛntˌɑːməlˈɑːdʒɪkəl mˌæɡɐzˈiːn ɪn lˈʌndən ˌʌndɚ ðə ɹˈʌnɪŋ tˈaɪɾəl ʌv "kəmjˌuːnɪkˈeɪʃənz ɔnðə nˈætʃɚɹəl hˈɪstɚɹi ʌv nˈɔːɹθ ɐmˈɛɹɪkə".
In 1835, he joined a fellow Quaker named Robert Foster on a trip to the United States, and while there wrote a series of letters that appeared in the Entomological Magazine in London under the running title of "Communications on the Natural History of North America".