'Instructions to Mr Robert Fortune proceeding to China in the service of the Horticultural Society of London' and a list of letters of introduction
Information
Title - 'Instructions to Mr Robert Fortune proceeding to China in the service of the Horticultural Society of London' and a list of letters of introduction
Record type - Archive
Original Reference - RHS/Col/8/1/2
Date - 23 Feb 1843
Scope & content - Instructions for Robert Fortune's journey to China by the Horticultural Society of London, including details on his itinerary, collecting of specimens, journal keeping, expenses and other matters, signed by Robert Fortune, and a list of letters of introduction
Pages 1-9: 'Instructions to Mr Robert Fortune proceeding to China in the service of the Horticultural Society of London'
Fortune to travel on board the Emu, 'in which a berth has been secured for you, and where you will mess with the captain'
Salary: His salary will be £100 annually, 'dating from the time of your quitting charge of the Hothouse department, until you resume it upon your return', excluding the cost of preparations and expenses
Objectives: He should primarily collect 'ornamental or useful' plants not already in cultivation in Great Britain, and to obtain information about Chinese gardening and agriculture
Documentation: He should keep a 'very detailed', daily journal: 'this will form the materials out of which a narrative of your expedition will be afterwards prepared for the use of the fellows of the Society'; he should write letters 'at every opportunity', numbering the letters consecutively and including as much detail as he can: 'this will enable the Society to judge of the progress you are making in your expedition'; all letters should be sent separately in duplicate
Shipping: Plants should be shipped where possible on board ships belonging to 'merchants to whom you have introductions', and a bill of lading [shipment receipt] should be taken, and the freight paid in England; 'you will take care to impress upon the minds of the captains the indispensable necessity of the glazed boxes being kept in the light, on the poop [poop deck] if possible, or on deck', and seeds in a well-ventilated location; packages should be addressed to the secretary of the Society; he should bring duplicate collections of 'the best' collections back on his return
Preparations: He will be given three cases of live plants and kitchen garden seeds as presents 'to those who may be useful to you'; he should study the effects of the voyage on the plants and report back on them
Duration: The Society wishes to limit his stay to one year, but he is free to decide on the details of his journey; the Society has been told that 'Chinese may be engaged at a small daily remuneration, who will bring you plants &c from the interior in places where you may find it difficult or dangerous to penetrate'; the Council are unable to tell him which locations to visit, 'the relations between China and England being at present too uncertain', but he should endeavour, if accessible, to visit Foo-chou-foo [Fuzhou, Fujian, China], the capital of one of the colder provinces of the empire, Chapoo [Zhapu, Zhejiang, China], 'the place of resort of the Japanese' and Goo-long-soo [Gulangyu, Fujian]
If he wishes to use Hong Kong as his 'headquarters', he should have a piece of ground in which to keep his plants to await shipment; the lieutenant governor of Hong Kong, Mr Johnstone [Alexander Robert Campbell-Johnston, deputy superintendent of trade in Hong Kong] will assist in this matter
Some of the plants that are particularly desirable include 'the plants that yield tea of different qualities', 'the double yellow roses, of which two sorts are said to occur in Chinese gardens, exclusive of the Banksian [Rosa banksiae]', 'paeonies with blue flowers, the existence of which is however doubtful', 'camellias with yellow flowers, if such exist' and 'the lilies of Fokien [Fujian, China], eaten as chestnuts when boiled' [here the list includes 17 more plants]; hardy plants are most desirable: 'the value of plants diminishes as the heat required to cultivate them is increased. Aquatics, Orchidaceae, or plants producing very handsome flowers are the only exceptions to this rule'
Seed packets should be sufficiently large for distribution; where possible plants should be placed in different varieties of soils to enable analysis of soil and its effect on the plants; he should acquire information regarding the 'manner pursued by the Chinese in dwarfing trees', and of the practice of mixing seeds with burnt bones: 'endeavour to learn whether they do this under the idea that it preserves the vitality of the seeds, or whether they use burnt bones as a manure'
The Society has 'exclusive claim' to all collections of living plants and seeds; a set of dried specimens should be prepared of all plants; any further collections are his private property, as long as there are no additional expenses to the Society
He will be supplied with tools, which are to be left in China when he returns; he may sell his firearms and credit the Society, or return the guns to the Society on his return
Money for his expenses will be provided by Messrs Dent & Co [merchants in China], who will cash bills to the amount of £500; an account of expenses should be sent with each letter, and 'vouchers' should be preserved where possible for auditing purposes; he will receive an advance of £50 in Carolus dollars [Spanish-American peso] from the treasurer [annotated in the margin: 'Recd [received] this 25 day of February 1843 the sum of £50 mentioned in this paragraph. Robert Fortune']
Pages 10-11: List of letters of introduction
Includes John Montagu, 'colonial secretary, Cape of Good Hope [South Africa]' from Edward Barnard [vice-president of the Horticultural Society of London], Major Malcolm [George Alexander Malcolm, British colonial secretary of Hong Kong] from Sir Henry Hart [British Royal Navy officer], Captain Sir Thomas Herbert [British Royal Navy officer], Canton [Guangzhou, Guangdong, China] from Dr Lindley [John Lindley, assistant secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], Crawford Kerr [Belgian consul and merchant in Canton], China from H.H. Lindsay [Hugh Hamilton Lindsay, merchant, previously secretary of the East India Company in Canton] and Messrs Dent & Co [merchants in China] from Messrs Palmer, Mackillop, Dent & Co [merchants in London] [here the list includes 20 more names]
Extent - 11 pages (3 sheets)
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)