A table of contents itemising the lists of contents of cases is written on a smaller piece of paper, with the remaining pages now loose but including on the first page a piece of string threaded through holes which would have tied the pages together. Undated [c.1822-1823]
Overview of contents of cases sent by John Forbes to England, with collections from South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Cabo Verde and Brazil. Includes a list of cases numbered 1-12: cases 1-2 contain 'specimens of plants in paper', No 3 contains 'skins of birds', No 4 'seeds, shells & some other natural curiosities', No 5 'seeds', No 6 'bulbs', Nos 7-8 'living plants', No 9 'seeds in earth', No 10 'coral specimens (a cask)' and Nos 11-12 'natural curiosities in spirits'. The following pages itemise the contents of cases Nos 11, 12, 7, 9 and 6
'Case No 11, contains four green glass jars with spirits of wine from the Royal College of Surgeons', listing the contents of the jars, including 'cuttle fish, Algoa Bay [South Africa], with a number of small crabs from the same place', 'two lizards, Delagoa Bay [Maputo Bay, Mozambique]', 'an animal of the order Intestina of Linne [Carl Linnaeus], 16.5 inches long, 260 feet in each row, four rows', and 'star fish, Isle of Sal [Cabo Verde] & two tongues of flamingos, Cape of Good Hope [South Africa]' [here the list includes 7 more items] [for another version of the list for Case No 11, c.1822-1823, see Forbes' journal, RHS/Col/3/1/4, pages 127-128]
'Case No 12', listing the contents of four jars, from Cape of Good Hope, Algoa Bay, Isle of Sal and Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], including 'large yellow Orchidea', 'Orchideae, flower delicate white and lilac, grows under the shade of bushes, root near surface' and 'small fish, cuttle fish, sea slugs and some Medusa, Madrepora, which when in a recent state were of a brilliant scarlet colour' [here the list includes 8 more items] [for another version of the list for Case No 12, c.1822-1823, see Forbes' journal, RHS/Col/3/1/4, page 122]
'Plants in soil, No 7', listing the contents of five boxes of plants from Isle of St Mary's, Madagascar [Nosy Boraha, Madagascar], Delagoa Bay and Mozambique, including 'Crinum defixum?' ('salt marsh'), a species of Epidendrum ('decayed trees & leaves'), a species of Gloriosa ('Elephant Island [Ilha dos Portugueses, Mozambique]'), Corypha africana [Hyphaene coriacea] and 'Gloriosa superba?' [here the list includes approximately 20 more plants and seeds]
'Seeds in soil, Case No 9', listing seeds, including Mangifera indica, Mangifera laxiflora [identification unresolved as at Jun 2018], Barringtonia speciosa [Barringtonia asiatica], a species of Pandanus and Ixora rosea or madagascarensis [Ixora cuneifolia] [here the list includes approximately 13 more seeds]
'Bulbs, Case No 6', listing bulbs from Delagoa Bay, including a species of Amaryllis, three unnamed bulbs ('appears different, but have seen no flower') and a species of Haemanthus
Extent
6 pages (6 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)