Pages 1-9 of James McRae's journal and papers: 'Instructions to Mr James McRae'
Information
Title - Pages 1-9 of James McRae's journal and papers: 'Instructions to Mr James McRae'
Record type - Archive
Original Reference - RHS/Col/6/1/1
Date - 16 Sep 1824
Scope & content - Pages 1-9: 'Instructions to Mr James McRae employed by the Horticultural Society of London on a Mission in His Majesty's Ship Blonde commanded by Captain Lord Byron to the Sandwich Islands [Hawaii, United States of America] in the Pacific Ocean and other places in 1824 and the following year'
This item is bound in the volume comprising journal and papers of James McRae
Signed at Regent Street, London, by Joseph Sabine [secretary of the Horticultural Society of London]
Includes notes on the following:
Chain of command: 'You will consider yourself under the direction of Lord Byron [George Anson Byron, captain of HMS Blonde]'
The object of the journey: 'The object of your mission, generally, is to collect plants and seeds of all descriptions, whether wild or in a cultivated state, for the use of the Society, attending particularly to those which are likely, in any way, to be valuable, either as esculents [edible plants], fruits, or for other useful purposes; and next, such as will be ornamental'
Conduct on board: 'You will be particularly careful, on ship-board, to conform yourself to every regulation made, or orders given, by the captain'. The captain to give permission to go on shore. 'You are especially enjoined to be most punctual to any appointment made for your return on board'
Finances: 'If you are in want of pecuniary supplies, either on your own account, or on that of the Society, and if such appear requisite to Lord Byron, his drafts on the treasurer of the Society in London, for money for such purposes, will be honoured'. McRae to inform Sabine of any such drafts and the purpose for which the money was required: 'it is presumed however that any supply you may want will be small, and it is to be understood that you will not embark on any expensive undertakings of collection'
Plant collecting: 'Many of the esculents you will meet with are probably not known as such in England; you will omit no opportunities of enquiring after such, and of looking for them in the gardens of the places you visit; you will collect all you can of them'. Notes to be taken of methods of cultivation and manner of use for esculent vegetables. Fruits of hot climates were particularly desirable, with seeds or plants to be collected and carefully described, recording their habitat, method of cultivation and any necessary treatment. 'After fruits and esculent vegetables, you will search, enquire for, and procure, such plants as may be useful in medicine, or for dyes etc'. Ornamental plants, palms, bulbous plants and air plants were particularly desirable, and 'to creepers, shrubs and perennial herbaceous plants you will also generally direct your attention'
Packaging: 'In the packing of plants and bulbs it is presumed you are sufficiently skilled not to require instruction'. Specimens of fruits to be immersed in spirit in bottles. Specimens of capsules and seeds to be carefully selected 'to be preserved for exhibition in the Society's apartments'. Specimens to be dried: 'you are furnished with all the requisites for forming an herbarium'. Multiple specimens to be collected. Specimens to be labelled with details of the time and location of collection. 'It is of little importance whether you are able with certainty to affix a name to each correctly'. Each plant, bulb and packet of seeds to be carefully labelled for transport: 'you will be careful that such mark shall be so made as to be permanent until it reaches England'
Local networks: McRae was given letters of introduction and packets for delivery for the Horticultural Society's correspondents at Madeira [Portugal], Rio Janeiro [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil] and Valparaiso [Chile], and was furnished with a list of correspondents: 'the production of these instructions to such persons will no doubt be a sufficient introduction to them', with the additional option of showing them 'copies of the garden reports of 1823 & 1824'. In the absence of any corresponding members, 'you will enquire for and endeavour to become acquainted with persons who are likely to be serviceable to the Society', engaging them to become corresponding members, and sending their names and addresses to the Society
Documentation: McRae was given a copy of the instructions for 'transmitting plants &c from tropical countries', printed for the Society's correspondents, and any additional observations made by McRae 'should be carefully and separately noted', to be used for future prints. 'You will keep a fair journal of all your proceedings and observations, and make a fair copy of the same, from time to time'. Parts of the copy to be sent regularly to Sabine. 'Your journal should be made as ample as possible, it must contain the details of each day's proceedings as well as notices and accounts of all you see. Whenever you send home a copy of part of your journal, you will at the same time send a letter to me, informing me to whose care the same is entrusted'
Communication: Regular letters to be sent to Sabine: 'you will number the letters which you send progressively, keeping copies of them all, and in each letter you will mention at what time and from what place your former letter was dispatched, and enclose a copy of such former letter'. Letters should be sent separately from the papers and parcels: 'captains of vessels are compelled to forward all packets of papers having the appearance of letters by the post from the first port they arrive at in England. The postage of such packets is often very large, and if they do not contain letters, is usually returned, but if letters are also in the parcel, no allowance is made from any port'
Other occupations: 'Whenever you are not immediately engaged in your horticultural and botanical pursuits, you will do your utmost to make collections in other branches of natural history; the formation of which, from the exertions that have been made to instruct you, and from the apparatus and materials which you take out with you, it is presumed you will be well able to effect'
Conduct: From the interest shown by Byron and 'the information communicated to [me] respecting the disposition and characters of several of the officers in the frigate', McRae should be prepared to 'impart whatever knowledge you are able to such persons', assisting them in their natural history pursuits and being liberal in sharing specimens: 'you will find advantage to yourself in such conduct, for should articles of rarity fall into their hands, such will be more readily imparted to you, when it is known that you are willing to give from your own collections, such as it is not incumbent on you to retain for the Society'
Rights: 'It is requisite, however, that, subject to the discretion above given, you should fully understand that everything collected by you during your voyage is exclusively the property of the Horticultural Society'. Giving or sending any collected articles to other individuals was not permitted. The journals and notes 'are in like manner to remain at the absolute disposal of the Council of the Society'
Communication: Specimens to be carefully packed and addressed to the Horticultural Society, care of David Maclean at the Custom House in London, unless sent by HM ships, in which case they could be addressed directly to the Society. If sent to Liverpool, they should be sent to the care of Messrs Morrall & Woodward [mercantile agents in Liverpool]. A letter to be sent to the Horticultural Society informing of the method of transport
Items supplied by the Horticultural Society: Books, implements and materials furnished by the Society to be preserved in good order, and 'to be restored to the Society on your return'. 'You are supplied with a small collection of seeds of esculent vegetables for the purpose of distribution, or of present, to persons at any places where you may touch', with any to be given to Byron for the same purpose if required. McRae was also given a 'well-selected collection of plants, chiefly fruit trees, destined for the use of the inhabitants of the Sandwich Islands', for which McRae should trust Byron's advice, but supervise their planting himself and on leaving, place them under the care of Captain Charlton [Richard Charlton, British consul at Sandwich Islands], 'the British resident at the islands'. The boxes can be re-used for packing plants. McRae was given a packet for Charlton, who was known to be 'ready to forward the objects of the Society'
Other plant collectors: McRae should communicate with David Douglas [Horticultural Society plant collector, sent to North America in Jul 1824], who was travelling to collect plants in north-west America; letters to him should be forwarded to Columbia River [Washington and Oregon, United States of America, and British Columbia, Canada]
Plants from Chile: McRae should 'get all the information possible, and make observations on the practicability and expediency of sending a botanical collector to Chile'. The local plants are known to 'have much merit, both as regards to beauty and utility', and those suiting the British climate are desirable, in particular plants and seeds of the Chilean Araucaria: 'the latter should be packed in boxes of mould [soil]'
Transporting seeds and plants: As seeds are likely to be damaged 'by the double passage across the line [the Equator]', some of the seeds collected north of the Equator should be sent from a Pacific port, but only duplicates should be sent. If the return journey round Cape Horn [Chile] occurs in the summer season, McRae will be able to bring 'a very fine and valuable collection of living plants', but should the journey occur in the winter season, 'little hope of their surviving can be entertained'
Care of plants on board the ship: Lord Byron will offer assistance and support
Plants from the Falkland Islands: A short stay should be sufficient for making a 'perfect collection' of plants
Return to England: Joseph Sabine to be informed immediately on McRae's return. Responsibility for the collections to remain with McRae 'until they are safely deposited on shore or transmitted by land to London'. McRae to report in person at the Society on his return
Extent - 9 pages
Repository - Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library
Copyright - Royal Horticultural Society
Credit Line - RHS Lindley Collections
Usage terms - Non-commercial use with attribution permitted (CC BY-NC 4.0)