Letter from John Forbes to Joseph Sabine [secretary of the Horticultural Society of London]

Information

Title: Letter from John Forbes to Joseph Sabine [secretary of the Horticultural Society of London]

Scope & content: Written from Simon's Town [Cape of Good Hope, South Africa]

Marked at the top of the page 'No 12'. Annotated at the top of page: 'Joseph Sabine received Nov 13 1822'

He apologises for not forwarding his specimens [crossed out: 'seeds, journals'] from Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], as he has been out with the surveying parties, the weather being fine and 'the opportunities such as were not likely to offer again, Captain Owen [William FitzWilliam Owen, captain of HMS Leven] wished me to embrace them'; he returned the previous night after 10 days at Cape Hanglip [Cape Hangklip, South Africa] on the other side of False Bay [South Africa]; he is planning to go away again for a few days to collect Orchideae and other bulbs; afterwards he will remain at the observatory for another two or three weeks, arranging his specimens in preparation for sending them back home; he has collected many orchideous plants and other bulbs and will send them, as vessels are sailing every three or four weeks; he received Sabine's letter of 2 May the previous day; he is happy to hear Sabine was satisfied with the specimens from Lisbon [Portugal], and hopes that the specimens from Rio de Janeiro will arrive equally safely