Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London

Title

Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society [George Bentham], 21 Regent Street, London

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/7/1/1/23

Date

19 Apr 1838

Scope & content

Written from San Luis Potosi [Mexico]

Postmarked ('London 20 Jun 1838'). The letter includes an impression of an opened seal. Annotated on the reverse: 'This letter was double only. John Lindley, vice-secretary, Hort.Soc. J. Maidlow[?]'

Letter No 17

He acknowledges receipt of letters dated 27 Oct and 16 Dec, which he received on 24 Mar at the Valle del Maiz [Mexico]; he wrote to McCalmont & Lyall & Co [merchants in Mexico] in Tampico [Mexico] asking about the missing box HS3, but has only received a reply from Messrs Meade [merchants in Mexico] with a duplicate of the bill of lading [shipment receipt] showing the box was dispatched on 19 Jun by the conducta [mule train] from Guanajuato [Mexico] to Tampico; Hartweg sent around the same time an 'authenticated' copy of a letter from James Barrow [John Barrow, secretary of the Board of Admiralty] to the secretary of the Society [George Bentham] via Messrs McCalmont Lyall & Co to notify them about the dispatched box to be sent on board HM ships, requesting them to give orders to their agents at Falmouth to forward the box 'by coach or van' immediately to London; they acknowledged the receipt of the letters and instructions, promising to ship the box; a response to his letter of 24 Mar to Tula de Tamaulipas [Mexico] 'would probably have explained what became of the box', but he is unable to wait for the post if he wishes to send this letter from Zacatecas [Mexico]; on 10 Apr he dispatched from the Rancho de los Gallitos his collections from Santa Barbara [Santa Barbara, Mexico] and Valle del Maiz, in boxes marked HS9, with Orchideae, and HS10 with 'Orchideae, 7 sorts of cacti & 5 sorts of seeds'; the boxes contain altogether 17 kinds of Orchideae, but not many new ones; some of the plants are duplicates of those in the missing box; the two new boxes should reach England by the packet [ship] sailing this month, 'if not otherwise detained by the French squadron blockading the ports of Vera Cruz [Veracruz, Mexico] & Tampico, which, if reports be true, began on the 16th [Apr]'

Hartweg's accounts for 17 Mar-16 Apr 1838 include 'shoeing horses' $3.1, 'purchase of a cargo mule' $35, 'two boxes HS9 & 10 with matting' $8, 'two lbs of nails' $1 and 'postage' $2.7 [here the list includes three more items] and 'received in cash' $150 from Senor Gutierrez, Forns & Co [?merchants] in Valle del Maiz [Mexico]. Written from San Luis Potosi [Mexico]

Postmarked ('London 20 Jun 1838'). The letter includes an impression of an opened seal. Annotated on the reverse: 'This letter was double only. John Lindley, vice-secretary, Hort.Soc. J. Maidlow[?]'

Letter No 17

He acknowledges receipt of letters dated 27 Oct and 16 Dec, which he received on 24 Mar at the Valle del Maiz [Mexico]; he wrote to McCalmont & Lyall & Co [merchants in Mexico] in Tampico [Mexico] asking about the missing box HS3, but has only received a reply from Messrs Meade [merchants in Mexico] with a duplicate of the bill of lading [shipment receipt] showing the box was dispatched on 19 Jun by the conducta [mule train] from Guanajuato [Mexico] to Tampico; Hartweg sent around the same time an 'authenticated' copy of a letter from James Barrow [John Barrow, secretary of the Board of Admiralty] to the secretary of the Society [George Bentham] via Messrs McCalmont Lyall & Co to notify them about the dispatched box to be sent on board HM ships, requesting them to give orders to their agents at Falmouth to forward the box 'by coach or van' immediately to London; they acknowledged the receipt of the letters and instructions, promising to ship the box; a response to his letter of 24 Mar to Tula de Tamaulipas [Mexico] 'would probably have explained what became of the box', but he is unable to wait for the post if he wishes to send this letter from Zacatecas [Mexico]; on 10 Apr he dispatched from the Rancho de los Gallitos his collections from Santa Barbara [Santa Barbara, Mexico] and Valle del Maiz, in boxes marked HS9, with Orchideae, and HS10 with 'Orchideae, 7 sorts of cacti & 5 sorts of seeds'; the boxes contain altogether 17 kinds of Orchideae, but not many new ones; some of the plants are duplicates of those in the missing box; the two new boxes should reach England by the packet [ship] sailing this month, 'if not otherwise detained by the French squadron blockading the ports of Vera Cruz [Veracruz, Mexico] & Tampico, which, if reports be true, began on the 16th [Apr]'

Hartweg's accounts for 17 Mar-16 Apr 1838 include 'shoeing horses' $3.1, 'purchase of a cargo mule' $35, 'two boxes HS9 & 10 with matting' $8, 'two lbs of nails' $1 and 'postage' $2.7 [here the list includes three more items] and 'received in cash' $150 from Senor Gutierrez, Forns & Co [?merchants] in Valle del Maiz [Mexico]

Level

Item

Extent

4 page letter (1 sheet)

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)