Letter from E. Sabine [Edward Sabine] to Joseph Sabine esq [secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], 42 Warwick Street, Golden Square, London

Title

Letter from E. Sabine [Edward Sabine] to Joseph Sabine esq [secretary of the Horticultural Society of London], 42 Warwick Street, Golden Square, London

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/2/Z1/1

Date

18 Nov 1821

Scope & content

Written from Spithead. Dated 'Sunday 3pm'

Postmarked (illegible). The letter includes an opened seal

He is settled on board and comfortable; the instruments are secured in his own cabin (apart from those not needed until Madeira [Portugal]) and take up little space; they were underway but Lord Melville [Robert Dundas, first lord of the Admiralty] has asked them to wait for Mr Veitch [Henry Veitch, British consul in Funchal, Madeira] who will arrive tomorrow, when they will sail for Weymouth; Joseph can write back to him at Weymouth on Monday or Tuesday; they did not go on board until yesterday noon, as it was payday for the men ('which ensured a day of confusion'); George Don 'will do very well by & by', he was gloomy yesterday but has cheered up today after finding out he is 'better off' than the midshipmen; the ship is overfull as they take with them so many supernumeraries, but once they reach Sierra Leone it will be emptier; Don can perform his duties in his cabin, and 'of personal comfort, he will have as much as can well be expected'; Don says he can neither write nor read if anyone talks near him, but he will be an 'altered man' after ten days at sea; the lieutenants are very civil to Don, and the gunner who he shares a mess with is kind and attentive; Don has drawn no money yet, having used his own and Edward's, which they will claim back from the Society; he received Joseph's packet of letters of recommendation for Jamaica; he received a 'kind letter' from Davy [Humphry Davy, chemist and inventor, president of the Royal Society] this morning awarding him the distinction of the Royal Society, which had been his main wish for some time, but was very unexpected as he had never expected it before the completion of both pendulum voyages; this is Sir Humphry's first medal bestowed, and he is 'very proud' and grateful to have received it, but worries it was premature and may provoke ill-natured remarks; he wishes to secure some provision for Smith [John Smith, Edward Sabine's assistant] on his return; all the instruments and chronometers are safe on board with none missing or damaged; he may be unable to ascend the peak [Pico Ruivo, Madeira] due to the season, and people say it is impossible, but they will go up as far as they can, as the plants will be in ripe seed; if Joseph thinks it better to attach an erratum to the 'Northern Natural History', reading 'insert other before invertebrate' he should do so; Mends [Robert Mends, captain of HMS Iphigenia] is not likely to solicit or to be proposed a fellow of a Society for the promotion of natural knowledge, but the master of the ship [naval officer responsible for navigation] is 'an invaluable treasure' which matters more to him. Written from Spithead. Dated 'Sunday 3pm'

Postmarked (illegible). The letter includes an opened seal

He is settled on board and comfortable; the instruments are secured in his own cabin (apart from those not needed until Madeira [Portugal]) and take up little space; they were underway but Lord Melville [Robert Dundas, first lord of the Admiralty] has asked them to wait for Mr Veitch [Henry Veitch, British consul in Funchal, Madeira] who will arrive tomorrow, when they will sail for Weymouth; Joseph can write back to him at Weymouth on Monday or Tuesday; they did not go on board until yesterday noon, as it was payday for the men ('which ensured a day of confusion'); George Don 'will do very well by & by', he was gloomy yesterday but has cheered up today after finding out he is 'better off' than the midshipmen; the ship is overfull as they take with them so many supernumeraries, but once they reach Sierra Leone it will be emptier; Don can perform his duties in his cabin, and 'of personal comfort, he will have as much as can well be expected'; Don says he can neither write nor read if anyone talks near him, but he will be an 'altered man' after ten days at sea; the lieutenants are very civil to Don, and the gunner who he shares a mess with is kind and attentive; Don has drawn no money yet, having used his own and Edward's, which they will claim back from the Society; he received Joseph's packet of letters of recommendation for Jamaica; he received a 'kind letter' from Davy [Humphry Davy, chemist and inventor, president of the Royal Society] this morning awarding him the distinction of the Royal Society, which had been his main wish for some time, but was very unexpected as he had never expected it before the completion of both pendulum voyages; this is Sir Humphry's first medal bestowed, and he is 'very proud' and grateful to have received it, but worries it was premature and may provoke ill-natured remarks; he wishes to secure some provision for Smith [John Smith, Edward Sabine's assistant] on his return; all the instruments and chronometers are safe on board with none missing or damaged; he may be unable to ascend the peak [Pico Ruivo, Madeira] due to the season, and people say it is impossible, but they will go up as far as they can, as the plants will be in ripe seed; if Joseph thinks it better to attach an erratum to the 'Northern Natural History', reading 'insert other before invertebrate' he should do so; Mends [Robert Mends, captain of HMS Iphigenia] is not likely to solicit or to be proposed a fellow of a Society for the promotion of natural knowledge, but the master of the ship [naval officer responsible for navigation] is 'an invaluable treasure' which matters more to him

Extent

4 page letter (1 sheet)

Is part of

RHS archive: plant collector papers

Repository

Royal Horticultural Society Lindley Library

Copyright

John J. Timothy Jeal

Credit Line

Courtesy John J. Timothy Jeal / RHS Lindley Collections

Usage terms

Non-commercial use with attribution permitted (CC BY-NC 4.0)