Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London and 'List of articles contained in boxes HS27-43'

Title

Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London and 'List of articles contained in boxes HS27-43'

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/7/1/1/46

Date

6-23 Aug 1839

Scope & content

Written from Tehuantepeque [Tehuantepec, Mexico]

Letter No 33

He encloses a list of his collections from Oaxaca [Mexico]; he sent six boxes marked HS38-43 to Vera Cruz [Veracruz, Mexico] on 12 Aug; he has not heard concerning the previous dispatches from Messrs Munoz & Co [merchants in Mexico], but thinks they are probably on their way to England; his journey onwards will take about 30-36 days, as he had to buy another mule to carry his luggage, which will slow his journey on the bad and mountainous roads; he had to buy another horse as well to replace one too exhausted for the journey; the new horse ran off 'to the bush', but the administrator of the hacienda ('to whom the horse is well known') sent two herdsmen to search for the horse

Hartweg's accounts for 17 Jun-16 Jul 1839 include 'moss for packing' $1.6, 'guides' $1.7, 'a horse' $40, 'keeping of 5 beasts' $27.2 and 'ropes & sheepskins' $3 [here the list includes 11 more items], and 'received in cash' $500 from Messrs R. Smith & Co [merchants in Mexico] in Oaxaca'

'List of articles contained in boxes HS27-43'. Signed 'Oaxaca Aug 6th 1839. Theodor Hartweg'. Annotated in pencil: 'Copied'. Comprises numbered lists of collections sent to England, collected from the northern and southern coasts [of Mexico], and Chinantla & the Rincon [?Rincon de Guayabitos, Mexico]:

List of collections from the northern coast ('collected on an excursion to the Santuario de Otatitlan [Santuario de Otatitlan, Mexico] in the state of Vera Cruz [Veracruz, Mexico]'), numbered (1-86), includes Oncidium tigrinum ('Rio de Taboa[?]'), several species of Brassavola, a species of Cereus ('Hacienda del Carmen') and several unnamed species ('mine of Dolores') [here the list includes 81 more plants]

List of collections from the southern coast ('collected on an excursion to the coast, within 15 leagues [45 miles] of the seashore'), numbered (87-159), includes several unnamed plants ('[from] Juquila [Mexico]', '[from] Rancho del Aye', 'between the trapiche (sugar-mill) de Santa Ana [Oaxaca, Mexico] & Guchatengo [San Pedro Juchatengo, Mexico], on oaks & rocks'), a species of Bletia ('[from] San Miguel Sola [San Miguel Sola de Vega, Oaxaca, Mexico]') and a species of Allium ('Hacienda del Carmen') [here the list includes 67 more plants]

List of collections from Chinantla & the Rincon, numbered (160-185) includes several unnamed plants ('[from] Llano Verde [Oaxaca, Mexico]', 'at the crossing of the river near Tanetze [?Tanetze de Zaragoza, Oaxaca, Mexico]', 'Hacienda del Carmen'), a species of Bromelia ('a very useful plant, yielding a very long 'pita', used for thread. Near San Pedro Tepinapa [Oaxaca, Mexico]') and a species of Cycas ('from Llano Verde') [here the list includes 20 more plants]

List of contents of box HS43 includes '49 papers of seeds', 'specimens of 27 species of Orchidea, directed to the care of Dr Lindley [John Lindley, assistant secretary of the Horticultural Society of London]', 'four boxes of insects & butterflies', 'two pieces of oakwood with a fungus or the amadou of the country' and 'one parcel of 'aye' directed to Dr Lindley' [here the list includes 3 more items]

Level

Item

Extent

7 page letter (2 sheets)

Is part of

RHS archive: plant collector papers

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)