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

Title

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

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/7/2/2/26

Date

9-28 Jul 1846

Scope & content

Written from Monterey [California, United States of America]

Letter No 7. On onion skin paper without backing

He sends by the US ship Levant a small package of bulbs ('8 sorts') and a tin case of seeds ('23 sorts') to the care of Messrs Barron, Forbes & Co [merchants in Mexico] to be forwarded to Messrs Manning, Mackintosh & Co [agents of the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company in Mexico] in Vera Cruz [Veracruz, Mexico]; he sent it by diligence, as it will take the same time as by post and it is cheaper ('less than an eighth the expense'); the Americans under Commodore Sloat [John D. Sloat, captain in the United States Navy] 'took possession' of the country on 7 Jul [Sloat claimed California for the United States in July 1846] due to the hostilities between the Mexicans and the Americans near Matamoros [Mexico]; he has not been able to buy horses yet ('and luckily for me that I have not, as in all probability I should have lost them before now'); as soon as the country seems more settled, he will leave for Sacramento River [California], and expects to find 'a richer harvest of novelties than here. Douglas [David Douglas, Horticultural Society plant collector, who travelled to California in 1830-1832. For the papers of David Douglas, 1823-1829, see RHS/Col/5] had not been there'; the Wardian cases have arrived at San Francisco [California]

Hartweg's expenses for 8 Apr-9 Jul 1846 include 'expenses in Mazatlan' $57.8, 'embarking & porterage of luggage' $3.4, 'mess passage on board HM ship Juno to Monterey' $20.2, 'landing expenses in Monterey' $2.2 and 'monthly allowance' $50

Extent

3 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)