Letter from J. Reeves [John Reeves, naturalist, former East India Company tea inspector in China] to Dr Lindley [John Lindley, assistant secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], Hort. Soc., 21 Regent Street
Information
Title
Letter from J. Reeves [John Reeves, naturalist, former East India Company tea inspector in China] to Dr Lindley [John Lindley, assistant secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], Hort. Soc., 21 Regent Street
Record type
Archive
Original Reference
RHS/Col/8/1/29
Date
27 Feb 1843
Scope & content
Date ('Feb 27 1843') added in another, unidentified hand at the foot of the page
Postmarked ('BNT8[?] FE27 1843'). The letter includes an opened seal
He is enclosing copies of two letters [of introduction to Robert Fortune], which he has forwarded to Fortune by Mr Smith, a passenger on the Emu
'Letter addressed to Messrs Braine, Drummond and Dent [merchants in China], Hong Kong or Macao [Macau]' from L. Dent [Lancelot Dent, merchant in China]. He has written by the last mail that Fortune from the Horticultural Society is travelling to China to collect plants and information about Chinese plants, and to introduce European plants to China; his 'most intimate friend' John Reeves is interested in the success of the scheme and of Fortune's welfare; he hopes they will assist Fortune and make his stay comfortable, by for instance giving him accommodation in Macao in Mr Beale's [Thomas Beale, naturalist, merchant and opium speculator in China, who died in 1841] old house, which has the advantage of having a garden
'Letter addressed to Senor F.J de Paiva [Francisco Jose de Paiva, ?judge in Macao], Macao' from L. Dent. As he mentioned in his last letter, 'a gentleman' is travelling to China from the Horticultural Society to collect new plants, fruits and flowers and to introduce European plants to China; he asks of Paiva's assistance in introducing him to 'any parties conversant in these matters', and to let him use Paiva's mother's and cousin's gardens for planting seeds and plants and to carry out experiments; Mr R.F. [Robert Fortune] will travel on the Emu
Extent
3 page letter (1 sheet)
Is part of
RHS archive: plant collector papers
Repository
Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library
Copyright
Adrian Goodman
Credit Line
Courtesy Adrian Goodman / RHS Lindley Collections
Usage terms
Non-commercial use with attribution permitted (CC BY-NC 4.0). No cropping or text overlay.