'Minutes of the Chinese Committee, from Dec 28, 1842 to Feb 23, 1843'

Title

'Minutes of the Chinese Committee, from Dec 28, 1842 to Feb 23, 1843'

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/8/1/1

Date

28 Dec 1842-23 Feb 1843

Scope & content

Minutes of meetings held on 28 Dec 1842, 12 Jan 1843 and 23 Feb 1843. The Chinese Committee at the Horticultural Society was set up at the instigation of John Reeves, naturalist and former East India Company tea inspector in China for the purpose of sending a plant collector to China, following the partial lessening of restrictions for foreign travellers in the country

Overview of contents:
Pages 1-3: Minutes of meeting, 28 Dec 1842
Page 4: Minutes of meeting, 12 Jan 1843
Pages 5-6: Minutes of meeting, 23 Feb 1843

Physical description: A bundle of notes, attached only at the top corner. Final leaf loose. Fragile. Handle with care

Pages 1-3: The committee was appointed by the Council [of the Horticultural Society of London] to manage the 'mission to China', with Mr Loddiges [George Loddiges, vice-president of the Horticultural Society of London] as chair and Mr Reeves [John Reeves], Mr Gowen [James Robert Gowen, later secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], Dr Henderson [Alexander Henderson, secretary of the Horticultural Society of London] and Dr Lindley [John Lindley, assistant secretary of the Horticultural Society of London] present in the first meeting 28 Dec 1842

Letters from Lord Prudhoe [Algernon Percy, British naval commander, explorer and politician] with letters of introduction to Mr Fortune [Robert Fortune], and letters from Viscount Canning [Charles Canning, parliamentary under-secretary of state for foreign affairs] and Earl of Aberdeen [George Hamilton-Gordon, British foreign secretary] were presented to the committee; discussions included details of the journey and imbursements to the captain; Reeves promised letters of introduction to the house of Dent & Co [merchants] at Hong Kong; the list of instruments and tools provided to Fortune included several thermometers, a spade, a bill hook, a geological hammer and a 'life preserver [life jacket]' [here the list includes 7 more items]; the list of plants to be brought back included 'the true Mandarin orange called song-pee-leen [mandarin; the Chinese name may refer to chenpi, sun-dried tangerine peel]', 'the orange called cum-quat [kumquat]', 'the white lilies of Fokien [Fujian, China]', Oxalis sensitiva [Biophytum sensitivum] and 'true paeonies' [here the list includes 7 more plants]; Japanese plants should be acquired from around Chapoo [Zhapu, Zhejiang, China]; Lord Aberdeen should be requested to grant a 'small piece of land' for Fortune's use at Hong Kong. Signed by George Loddiges

Page 4: Minutes of meeting, 12 Jan 1843, with George Loddiges as chair and James Robert Gowen, John Reeves, Mr Barnard [Edward Barnard, vice-president of the Horticultural Society of London], Mr Edgar [Thomas Edgar, treasurer of the Horticultural Society of London], John Lindley and Alexander Henderson present

Letters read from Lord Prudhoe enclosing an extract from a letter from Hong Kong, and from Fortune enquiring about the provision of fire arms; Fortune should be supplied with a 'fowling piece [shotgun] and pistols'; a passage with a cabin at the cost of 100 dollars on the Emu (Captain Scanlan [captain of the Emu]); Reeves 'kindly placed at the disposal of the Council one of Adie's original sympiesometers [a lightweight barometer, invented by Alexander James Adie in 1818], and a Chinese vocabulary [probably by the missionary Robert Morrison, 'A Dictionary of the Chinese Language', 1815-1823]'; Mr Dent [Lancelot Dent, merchant in China] had offered Fortune a room at Macao [Macau]. Signed by George Loddiges

Pages 5-6: Minutes of meeting, 23 Feb 1834, with George Loddiges as chair, and James Robert Gowen, John Reeves, John Lindley, Edward Barnard, Thomas Edgar and Alexander Henderson present

Letter of credit for £500 by Messrs Palmer, Mackillop & Co [merchants in London] to Messrs Dent & Co [merchants in China] at Macao read; correspondence between Lindley and Lord Stanley [Edward Smith-Stanley, earl of Derby, British secretary of state for war and the colonies] read, including discussion relating to a letter of introduction to the 'military authority in China'; Goolongsoo [Gulangyu, Fujian, China] and Chusan [Zhoushan, Zhejiang, China] should be visited before new restrictions are placed by the Chinese government; instructions to be given to Fortune amended and agreed to. Signed by George Loddiges

Extent

7 pages (4 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)