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/7/1/1/14
Date
17 Sep 1837
Scope & content
Written from Aguas Calientes [Aguascalientes, Mexico]
Postmarked [illegible]. An opened seal is attached to the letter. Annotated on the reverse: 'Tampico [Mexico] 16th October 1837. Forwarded by HM pkt [packet] Magnet by your obed servts [obedient servants] McCalmont & Lyall & Co [merchants in Mexico]'
Letter No 10
He has added to his collections at the same rate as the previous month; by travelling about 20 leagues [60 miles] further, he has found variation in both soil and climate; the most interesting plants are two species of Cyclobothra [Calochortus]; of one of these he has only seen the flower buds, which 'promises to be very fine', but it is also remarkable in bearing bulbs in the axils of the leaves; he found a species of Amaryllis, and Milla biflora in abundance, of which he collected about 1,400 roots; he found seeds of an Arbutus with pink flowers, a 'most beautiful' Cuphea, two species of Tradescantia, and a few other, 'less interesting' kinds; the dried specimens amount to more than 4,300; he will leave in a few days for Bolanos [Mexico], which he expects will be equally productive
Hartweg's accounts for 17 Aug-16 Sep 1837 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'wages of the mozo [servant]' $18, 'horse keeping' $17.4 and 'shoeing of horses' $1.2, and $100 received in cash from F. Staines [Frederick Staines, merchant and botanist in Mexico]
Level
Item
Extent
3 page letter (1 sheet)
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)