Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London
Information
Title - Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London
Record type - Archive
Original Reference - RHS/Col/7/1/1/30
Date - 18 Oct 1838
Scope & content - Written from Real del Monte [Mineral del Monte, Mexico]
Postmarked ('London 10 Jan 1839'). The letter includes an impression of an opened seal. Annotated on the reverse: 'Tampico [Mexico] 20th November 1838. Forwarded by your most obedient servants, Jolly & Baker [merchants in Mexico]'
Letter No 23
He dispatched a box, marked HS16, on 26 Sep to the care of Messrs Byrns & Co [Messrs Byrns, Hooton & Co, merchants in Mexico] in Mexico [Mexico City, Mexico], to be forwarded via Messrs R. Munoz & Co [merchants in Mexico] in Veracruz [Mexico]; the box contained 17 kinds of seeds, seven kinds of bulbs and roots and three species of epiphytes; the seeds include Mahonia trifoliata [unidentified], collected in San Luis Potosi [Mexico] by the administrator of Hacienda del Espiritu Santo, according to Hartweg's instructions in April; the roots include a new species of Dahlia, possibly Dahlia repens, growing to a foot high in the wild: '[it] could perhaps be employed with effect to produce dwarf varieties, if impregnated with the double kinds'; the bulbs packed with the Orchideae are known as 'cebadilla' and grow on the Campanario [?Sierra El Campanario, Mexico], about 9,500 feet above the sea level; they have beautiful brown, scented flowers, and leaves resembling Veratrum sabadilla [Schoenocaulon officinale], 'of which latter the above name is probably a corruption. Cattle eating the leaves die in consequence'; the Orchideae include Oncidium tigrinum, Bletia majalis [unidentified] of Schiede [Christian Julius Wilhelm Schiede, German botanist in Mexico], same as in box HS3; he left Angangueo [Mexico] for Real del Monte on 27 Sep; he received a letter of introduction to Charles Ehrenberg [Carl August Ehrenberg, German botanist and merchant in Mexico], who as an amateur botanist is helping him; he has made some excursions, and found seeds of Cotoneaster denticulata [identification unresolved as at Jun 2019], a 'splendid' Chelone, a species of Symphoricarpus, Pinus patula of Schiede, some Mammillarias, a new species of Abies with cones similar to Abies douglasii [Pseudotsuga menziesii]: 'Mr Ehrenberg has never found it during his stay of 5 years here'; he has seen Pinus occidentalis and two other species or varieties of Pinus, one with long leaves and large cones, the other with glaucous leaves and smaller, brownish cones; he sent in the box HS12 from Morelia [Mexico] some seeds marked Pinus occidentalis, which he has now seen in Ehrenberg's herbarium, collected in the same location by 'the late Dr Schiede', who called it Pinus oocarpa; he heard from someone who recently arrived from Tampico [Mexico] that the commanders are refusing to take his packages even when they have room, as 'they are plagued with such boxes at every station they arrive', and see no benefit in transporting them; he has authorised Messrs Byrns & Co [Messrs Byrns, Hooton & Co, merchants in Mexico] to send the packages 'on freight'; he has not heard whether the last five packages have arrived
Hartweg's accounts for 17 Sep-16 Oct 1838 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'wages of mozo [servant]' $18 and 'keeping of 3 beasts' $14, 'shoeing' $2 and 'box HS16, matting, string' $2, and 'received in cash' $150 from W. Grundler in Angangueo [Mexico]. Written from Real del Monte [Mineral del Monte, Mexico]
Postmarked ('London 10 Jan 1839'). The letter includes an impression of an opened seal. Annotated on the reverse: 'Tampico [Mexico] 20th November 1838. Forwarded by your most obedient servants, Jolly & Baker [merchants in Mexico]'
Letter No 23
He dispatched a box, marked HS16, on 26 Sep to the care of Messrs Byrns & Co [Messrs Byrns, Hooton & Co, merchants in Mexico] in Mexico [Mexico City, Mexico], to be forwarded via Messrs R. Munoz & Co [merchants in Mexico] in Veracruz [Mexico]; the box contained 17 kinds of seeds, seven kinds of bulbs and roots and three species of epiphytes; the seeds include Mahonia trifoliata [unidentified], collected in San Luis Potosi [Mexico] by the administrator of Hacienda del Espiritu Santo, according to Hartweg's instructions in April; the roots include a new species of Dahlia, possibly Dahlia repens, growing to a foot high in the wild: '[it] could perhaps be employed with effect to produce dwarf varieties, if impregnated with the double kinds'; the bulbs packed with the Orchideae are known as 'cebadilla' and grow on the Campanario [?Sierra El Campanario, Mexico], about 9,500 feet above the sea level; they have beautiful brown, scented flowers, and leaves resembling Veratrum sabadilla [Schoenocaulon officinale], 'of which latter the above name is probably a corruption. Cattle eating the leaves die in consequence'; the Orchideae include Oncidium tigrinum, Bletia majalis [unidentified] of Schiede [Christian Julius Wilhelm Schiede, German botanist in Mexico], same as in box HS3; he left Angangueo [Mexico] for Real del Monte on 27 Sep; he received a letter of introduction to Charles Ehrenberg [Carl August Ehrenberg, German botanist and merchant in Mexico], who as an amateur botanist is helping him; he has made some excursions, and found seeds of Cotoneaster denticulata [identification unresolved as at Jun 2019], a 'splendid' Chelone, a species of Symphoricarpus, Pinus patula of Schiede, some Mammillarias, a new species of Abies with cones similar to Abies douglasii [Pseudotsuga menziesii]: 'Mr Ehrenberg has never found it during his stay of 5 years here'; he has seen Pinus occidentalis and two other species or varieties of Pinus, one with long leaves and large cones, the other with glaucous leaves and smaller, brownish cones; he sent in the box HS12 from Morelia [Mexico] some seeds marked Pinus occidentalis, which he has now seen in Ehrenberg's herbarium, collected in the same location by 'the late Dr Schiede', who called it Pinus oocarpa; he heard from someone who recently arrived from Tampico [Mexico] that the commanders are refusing to take his packages even when they have room, as 'they are plagued with such boxes at every station they arrive', and see no benefit in transporting them; he has authorised Messrs Byrns & Co [Messrs Byrns, Hooton & Co, merchants in Mexico] to send the packages 'on freight'; he has not heard whether the last five packages have arrived
Hartweg's accounts for 17 Sep-16 Oct 1838 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'wages of mozo [servant]' $18 and 'keeping of 3 beasts' $14, 'shoeing' $2 and 'box HS16, matting, string' $2, and 'received in cash' $150 from W. Grundler in Angangueo [Mexico]
Level - Item
Extent - 4 page letter (1 sheet)
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)