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/7/1/1/72

Date

26 Nov 1841

Scope & content

Written from Cuenca [Ecuador]

Letter No 56. Annotated 'Recd [received] Ap 23, 1842 J.L. [John Lindley, assistant secretary of Horticultural Society of London]'

He arrived on 13 Nov after a six-day journey from Loxa [Loja, Ecuador]; he collected several 'very valuable' seeds during the journey, in particular two species of Berberis, one with a small leaf but large flowers, 'generally two growing together', a tall shrubby Lobelia, a large, flowering Cestrum, a 'gigantic' Tropaeolum with pale yellow flowers and 'enormous' seeds, and Chuquiraga insignis [Chuquiraga jussieui]; he found 'several very interesting things', on an excursion to Azogues [Ecuador], Canar [Ecuador] and Inga Pilca [Ingapirca, Ecuador], and considers the area 'more suitable to my views' than anticipated; Professor Jameson [William Jameson, botanist and naturalist in Ecuador] of Quito [Ecuador] ('though [I am] personally unknown to him') sent him useful notes about local plants; it is spring now, and the rainy season is expected to start next month; the transatlantic steamers are due to begin operating next month, and if they do, he will send collections via Messrs Polhemus & Mickle [Charles Polhemus and Edward Mickle, American shipping agents in Ecuador] via Panama; the political affairs of this country have worsened, and a declaration of war appears inevitable, and a Peruvian and a Chilean frigate are stationed near Guayaquil [Ecuador]

Hartweg's accounts for 13 Oct-13 Nov 1841 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'wages of mozo [servant]' $10, 'keeping of two mules' $5.5, 'freight of luggage' $9.6 and 'mozo to return to Loxa' $1.4

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)