Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London, and 'List of articles contained in boxes HS17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24', and 'List of pine-seeds collected in the mountains of Angangueo, contained in boxes HS25 &26'
Information
Title - Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London, and 'List of articles contained in boxes HS17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24', and 'List of pine-seeds collected in the mountains of Angangueo, contained in boxes HS25 &26'
Record type - Archive
Original Reference - RHS/Col/7/1/1/39
Date - 1-22 Feb 1839
Scope & content - Written from Mexico [Mexico City, Mexico]
Postmarked ('[Franqueado, Mexico] Ferro 23 [1839]', 'London 5 May 1839'). The letter includes an impression of an opened seal
Letter No 27
He acknowledges receipt of a letter dated 15 Nov with the new instructions, which he received on 24 Jan; the letter had been detained in Veracruz [Mexico] 'by some unaccountable error'; he received the copy of the letter from Messrs Byrns & Co [Messrs Byrns, Hooton & Co, merchants in Mexico] when he arrived at the city; he has not yet been able to meet Mr Ashburnham [Charles Ashburnham, British secretary of the legation in Mexico], who has been busy dispatching mail; Mr Parkinson [John Parkinson, British consul in Mexico] and Messrs Byrns think he should proceed to Oajaca [Oaxaca, Mexico] and go by sea from Acapulco [Mexico] or Tehuantepec [Mexico]; the country is 'in a most deplorable state'; he narrowly escaped 'some fifty robbers, who entered to sack the little town of Huaxa', and had to wait for three days in the mountains as 'the federalists' were intending to overthrow the government; he has heard that Guatemala is 'in an equally deplorable state: the blacks are said to be at war with the whites, but it is expected that by the time I arrive there, their differences will be settled'; he left Real del Monte [Mineral del Monte, Mexico] on 2 Feb, after sending his boxes to Messrs Byrns & Co; all the boxes, except Nos 23-25 were sent to Veracruz a fortnight ago, where ships will hopefully be allowed to unload; he encloses a detailed list of the boxes HS17-26; he sent 'a great variety' of pines, but is not sure whether they are different species or merely varieties: 'I sent therefore in every box some branches, to enable you to recognize them'; he recommends that No 6, Pinus teocote of Schiede [Christian Julius Wilhelm Schiede, German botanist in Mexico] should be renamed, as the present name is 'erroneous, as I never could find a person who called it 'teocote', but always 'de ocote', or 'Pino de ocote' (candle-wood pine), and this is very vague expression, all the pines without exception yielding the ocote'; he made arrangements with Mr Ehrenberg [Carl August Ehrenberg, also known as Charles Ehrenberg, German botanist and merchant in Mexico] in Real del Monte to send the Society some seeds and some cones of a new Abies mentioned previously, and a new species of pine, 'ayacahuite [Pinus ayacahuite]', related to Pinus strobus and Pinus excelsa [?Picea abies or Pinus wallichiana] with cones over a foot long, 'for which I promised him the articles contained in the enclosed application [enclosure not present]'
Hartweg's accounts for 17 Jan-16 Feb 1839 include 'monthly allowance' $50, '8 boxes, boards & 4 ½lbs of nails' $21.2, 'bags & ropes' $3.6, 'seeds of Pinus llaveana [Pinus cembroides]' $3.4, and 'felling of pines & carriage of seeds' $3.4 [here the list includes four more items]
'List of articles contained in boxes HS17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24'. Signed 'Real del Monte, Feb 1st 1839, Theodor Hartweg', comprising numbered lists of seeds, epiphytes, cacti and roots sent to England:
List of seeds, numbered (1-12), includes several unnamed species of Pinus ('from San Pedro & San Pablo, near Real del Monte', 'from the Ocotillo [Mexico]. Of this kind I only found a small tree'), Carya olivaeformis [Carya illinoinensis] ('cultivated in the barranca [canyon or ravine] of Mestitlan [Metztitlan, Mexico]'), a species of Quercus ('from Jacala [Mexico], a half-hardy tree, 40-50 feet high') and Pinus llaveana [Pinus cembroides] ('[of] Schiede, pinon, a tree 15-20 feet high, from the Cardonal [Mexico] & the Hacienda de la Estancia near Zimapan [Mexico]. The seeds are held in the same estimation as those of Pinus pinea & cembra [Pinus cembra]' [here the list includes 8 more seeds]
List of epiphytes comprises '26 different kinds, all of which were collected in the barrancas [canyon or ravine] of San Cornelio, a small village 20 leagues [60 miles] east of Real del Monte'
List of cacti, numbered (1-50), includes several species of Mammillaria ('[from] Santa Magdalena [?Santa Maria Magdalena, Mexico]', 'from the baths of Atotonilco el Grande [Mexico]'), species of Echinocactus ('[from] Santa Magdalena'), Cereus senilis [Cephalocereus senilis] ('from the Barranca de Mestitlan') and a species of Opuntia ('from Barranca de Mestitlan') [here the list includes 45 more cacti]
List of roots, numbered (51-53, one unnumbered), comprises Convolvulus jalapa [Ipomoea jalapa] ('true, from the mountains of Zacualtipan [Zacualplan, Mexico]'), another species of Convolvulus ('purga macho [?Ipomoea orizabensis], from the barranca of Mestitlan'), a species of Salvia ('splendid, from the Rancho del Guajolote [Mexico]') and Valeriana ('from the Cerro Ventoso [Mexico]. Crushed & mixed with pulque [alcoholic beverage made from fermented sap of Agave americana], it is employed against fever by the natives')
'HS23 & 24 contain the herbarium collected in 1838, and five old & empty cones of a new pine called ayacahuite [Pinus ayacahuite] from the mountains of Sanchez & Chico [Pachuca range, Mexico] near Real del Monte', comprising a list of pine seeds sent to England:
List of pine seeds collected in the mountains of Angangueo, numbered (1-4), contained in boxes HS25 &26' and signed 'Angangueo [Mexico] Feb 17th 1839. T.H'. Comprises Abies religiosa ('H.B.K. [Humboldt, Bonpland and Kunth; Carl Sigismund Kunth classified and compiled the botanical results of Alexander von Humboldt's and Aime Bonplan's expeditions to South America in the seven-volume 'Nova genera et species plantarum', 1815–1825], oyamel of the natives, attaining an immense size, 5-6 feet in diameter & about 150 feet high. Between 8-9,000 feet above the sea') and three species of Pinus ('from the Campanario [?Sierra El Campanario, Mexico], beginning where the oyamel ceases to grow. About 40-50 feet high', '?leiophylla [Pinus leiophylla], Schiede, 'ocota chino'. A valuable timber, 60 to 100 feet high, but resisting the plane. Its chief range is about 7,000 feet above the sea', 'allied to Pinus occidentalis, but a quite distinct species, resembling in habit Pinus strobus. Very common near Angangueo about 8,000 feet above the sea')
Includes a note relating the wish of Charles Ehrenberg to be supplied with a collection of seeds of hardy annuals, biennials and perennials, Delphinium grandiflorum, Aconitum and Fuchsia globosa [Fuchsia magellanica], to be sent to the care of Charles Phillips, 'secretary to the Mineral del Monte Company [British mining company in Mexico], 2 Duke St, Adelphi, London'. Written from Mexico [Mexico City, Mexico]
Postmarked ('[Franqueado, Mexico] Ferro 23 [1839]', 'London 5 May 1839'). The letter includes an impression of an opened seal
Letter No 27
He acknowledges receipt of a letter dated 15 Nov with the new instructions, which he received on 24 Jan; the letter had been detained in Veracruz [Mexico] 'by some unaccountable error'; he received the copy of the letter from Messrs Byrns & Co [Messrs Byrns, Hooton & Co, merchants in Mexico] when he arrived at the city; he has not yet been able to meet Mr Ashburnham [Charles Ashburnham, British secretary of the legation in Mexico], who has been busy dispatching mail; Mr Parkinson [John Parkinson, British consul in Mexico] and Messrs Byrns think he should proceed to Oajaca [Oaxaca, Mexico] and go by sea from Acapulco [Mexico] or Tehuantepec [Mexico]; the country is 'in a most deplorable state'; he narrowly escaped 'some fifty robbers, who entered to sack the little town of Huaxa', and had to wait for three days in the mountains as 'the federalists' were intending to overthrow the government; he has heard that Guatemala is 'in an equally deplorable state: the blacks are said to be at war with the whites, but it is expected that by the time I arrive there, their differences will be settled'; he left Real del Monte [Mineral del Monte, Mexico] on 2 Feb, after sending his boxes to Messrs Byrns & Co; all the boxes, except Nos 23-25 were sent to Veracruz a fortnight ago, where ships will hopefully be allowed to unload; he encloses a detailed list of the boxes HS17-26; he sent 'a great variety' of pines, but is not sure whether they are different species or merely varieties: 'I sent therefore in every box some branches, to enable you to recognize them'; he recommends that No 6, Pinus teocote of Schiede [Christian Julius Wilhelm Schiede, German botanist in Mexico] should be renamed, as the present name is 'erroneous, as I never could find a person who called it 'teocote', but always 'de ocote', or 'Pino de ocote' (candle-wood pine), and this is very vague expression, all the pines without exception yielding the ocote'; he made arrangements with Mr Ehrenberg [Carl August Ehrenberg, also known as Charles Ehrenberg, German botanist and merchant in Mexico] in Real del Monte to send the Society some seeds and some cones of a new Abies mentioned previously, and a new species of pine, 'ayacahuite [Pinus ayacahuite]', related to Pinus strobus and Pinus excelsa [?Picea abies or Pinus wallichiana] with cones over a foot long, 'for which I promised him the articles contained in the enclosed application [enclosure not present]'
Hartweg's accounts for 17 Jan-16 Feb 1839 include 'monthly allowance' $50, '8 boxes, boards & 4 ½lbs of nails' $21.2, 'bags & ropes' $3.6, 'seeds of Pinus llaveana [Pinus cembroides]' $3.4, and 'felling of pines & carriage of seeds' $3.4 [here the list includes four more items]
'List of articles contained in boxes HS17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 & 24'. Signed 'Real del Monte, Feb 1st 1839, Theodor Hartweg', comprising numbered lists of seeds, epiphytes, cacti and roots sent to England:
List of seeds, numbered (1-12), includes several unnamed species of Pinus ('from San Pedro & San Pablo, near Real del Monte', 'from the Ocotillo [Mexico]. Of this kind I only found a small tree'), Carya olivaeformis [Carya illinoinensis] ('cultivated in the barranca [canyon or ravine] of Mestitlan [Metztitlan, Mexico]'), a species of Quercus ('from Jacala [Mexico], a half-hardy tree, 40-50 feet high') and Pinus llaveana [Pinus cembroides] ('[of] Schiede, pinon, a tree 15-20 feet high, from the Cardonal [Mexico] & the Hacienda de la Estancia near Zimapan [Mexico]. The seeds are held in the same estimation as those of Pinus pinea & cembra [Pinus cembra]' [here the list includes 8 more seeds]
List of epiphytes comprises '26 different kinds, all of which were collected in the barrancas [canyon or ravine] of San Cornelio, a small village 20 leagues [60 miles] east of Real del Monte'
List of cacti, numbered (1-50), includes several species of Mammillaria ('[from] Santa Magdalena [?Santa Maria Magdalena, Mexico]', 'from the baths of Atotonilco el Grande [Mexico]'), species of Echinocactus ('[from] Santa Magdalena'), Cereus senilis [Cephalocereus senilis] ('from the Barranca de Mestitlan') and a species of Opuntia ('from Barranca de Mestitlan') [here the list includes 45 more cacti]
List of roots, numbered (51-53, one unnumbered), comprises Convolvulus jalapa [Ipomoea jalapa] ('true, from the mountains of Zacualtipan [Zacualplan, Mexico]'), another species of Convolvulus ('purga macho [?Ipomoea orizabensis], from the barranca of Mestitlan'), a species of Salvia ('splendid, from the Rancho del Guajolote [Mexico]') and Valeriana ('from the Cerro Ventoso [Mexico]. Crushed & mixed with pulque [alcoholic beverage made from fermented sap of Agave americana], it is employed against fever by the natives')
'HS23 & 24 contain the herbarium collected in 1838, and five old & empty cones of a new pine called ayacahuite [Pinus ayacahuite] from the mountains of Sanchez & Chico [Pachuca range, Mexico] near Real del Monte', comprising a list of pine seeds sent to England:
List of pine seeds collected in the mountains of Angangueo, numbered (1-4), contained in boxes HS25 &26' and signed 'Angangueo [Mexico] Feb 17th 1839. T.H'. Comprises Abies religiosa ('H.B.K. [Humboldt, Bonpland and Kunth; Carl Sigismund Kunth classified and compiled the botanical results of Alexander von Humboldt's and Aime Bonplan's expeditions to South America in the seven-volume 'Nova genera et species plantarum', 1815–1825], oyamel of the natives, attaining an immense size, 5-6 feet in diameter & about 150 feet high. Between 8-9,000 feet above the sea') and three species of Pinus ('from the Campanario [?Sierra El Campanario, Mexico], beginning where the oyamel ceases to grow. About 40-50 feet high', '?leiophylla [Pinus leiophylla], Schiede, 'ocota chino'. A valuable timber, 60 to 100 feet high, but resisting the plane. Its chief range is about 7,000 feet above the sea', 'allied to Pinus occidentalis, but a quite distinct species, resembling in habit Pinus strobus. Very common near Angangueo about 8,000 feet above the sea')
Includes a note relating the wish of Charles Ehrenberg to be supplied with a collection of seeds of hardy annuals, biennials and perennials, Delphinium grandiflorum, Aconitum and Fuchsia globosa [Fuchsia magellanica], to be sent to the care of Charles Phillips, 'secretary to the Mineral del Monte Company [British mining company in Mexico], 2 Duke St, Adelphi, London'
Level - Item
Extent - 7 page letter (2 sheets)
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)