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

Information

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

Scope & content: Written from HMS Barracouta, Algoa Bay [South Africa]

Postmarked ('Post Office Cape of Good Hope JY11 1823', 'India Letter Portsmouth'). An opened seal is attached to the letter

Dated 31 Jun 1823 [sic] [?30 Jun 1823]

The letter is marked 'private'. Annotated at the top of page: 'Joseph Sabine received Sept 19 1823'

They are now departing for the Zambeezi [Zambezi River, Zambia, Angola, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique]; they reconnected in Algoa Bay with HMS Leven, which had sailed there from Simon's Bay [South Africa] in 48 hours, as opposed to the Barracouta's 13 days; he 'found in the Leven' an account to the amount of £5 10s 6d, which he drew on the treasurer [of the Horticultural Society of London] at Captain Owen's [William FitzWilliam Owen, captain of HMS Leven] advice: 'it is for articles purchased by me at the sales of the effects of the officers deceased'; he does not think he will need more money for 12 or 18 months; he is in 'excellent health and longing to be on the field of our operations', anticipating 'immense collections of new and valuable objects'