Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society of London [George Bentham]

Title

Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society of London [George Bentham]

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/7/1/1/69

Date

18 Aug 1841

Scope & content

Written from Loxa [Loja, Ecuador]

Letter No 53

Messrs Polhemus & Mickle [Charles Polhemus and Edward Mickle, American shipping agents in Ecuador] told him they had shipped the boxes HS90-91 [annotated in the margin in another hand: 'Recd [received] Jan 15/42'] to Valparaiso [Chile]; he made a long excursion to the north and found many 'valuable' plants, seeds and bulbs; he is preparing for an excursion to the uninhabited parts in the east, where no other travellers in Loxa have visited: 'I anticipate many novelties'; hostilities between Ecuador and Nueva Granada [the Republic of New Granada, 1831-1858, later named Colombia] prevent him from travelling beyond Quito [Ecuador], and he cannot reach Popayan [Popayan, Colombia]; he does not know whether there is another route, and asks which route he ought to take from Quito as he has no maps; he intends to spend a short time in Cuenca [Ecuador] and Riobamba [Ecuador] to explore Chimborazo [Chimborazo Mountain, Ecuador]

Hartweg's accounts for 13 Jul-13 Aug 1841 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'wages of mozo [servant]' $10, 'keeping of two mules' $6.5, 'guides' $0.4 and 'freight of plants' $1. Written from Loxa [Loja, Ecuador]

Letter No 53

Messrs Polhemus & Mickle [Charles Polhemus and Edward Mickle, American shipping agents in Ecuador] told him they had shipped the boxes HS90-91 [annotated in the margin in another hand: 'Recd [received] Jan 15/42'] to Valparaiso [Chile]; he made a long excursion to the north and found many 'valuable' plants, seeds and bulbs; he is preparing for an excursion to the uninhabited parts in the east, where no other travellers in Loxa have visited: 'I anticipate many novelties'; hostilities between Ecuador and Nueva Granada [the Republic of New Granada, 1831-1858, later named Colombia] prevent him from travelling beyond Quito [Ecuador], and he cannot reach Popayan [Popayan, Colombia]; he does not know whether there is another route, and asks which route he ought to take from Quito as he has no maps; he intends to spend a short time in Cuenca [Ecuador] and Riobamba [Ecuador] to explore Chimborazo [Chimborazo Mountain, Ecuador]

Hartweg's accounts for 13 Jul-13 Aug 1841 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'wages of mozo [servant]' $10, 'keeping of two mules' $6.5, 'guides' $0.4 and 'freight of plants' $1

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)