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/7/1/1/59

Date

20 Aug 1840

Scope & content

Written from Guatemala [Guatemala City, Guatemala]

Postmarked ('11NO11 1840', 'Margate ship lre [letter]'). An opened seal is attached to the letter. Annotated on the outside: 'Received Sept 5th and forwarded from Belize by George Nicholson [merchant in Belize]'

Letter No 44

Boxes HS64-65 were received by Messrs Wright & Nicholson [merchants] at Belize; he read in a Belize newspaper that two boxes of plants were shipped on the Renown on 31 Jul, and two others on the Ceres on 1 Aug: 'the former I suppose to be mine, and the latter Mr Skinner's [George Ure Skinner, British merchant and naturalist in Guatemala]'; he is compiling another box of bulbs and seeds, including a species of Cebadilla [Sabadilla] from the Volcan de Agua [Volcan de Agua, Guatemala], 'less branched' than the one collected near Angangueo, and with a yellowish flower; on an excursion to Chimaltenango [Guatemala] and Comatapan [San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala] he found 'chumaque' (Laelia superbiens) growing wild, 'but scarce, and not so fine plants as those sent from Malacatan [Malacatan, Guatemala] and Rio Hondo [Rio Hondo, Guatemala]'; he found two more plants in Tejar [El Tejar, Guatemala]: 'beautiful […] the one with seven, and the other with eight flower stems on it, which are at present from three to four feet long. The pseudo-bulbs measure from 12-14 inches in length, they are two of the finest plants I ever saw. I took them off the trees with the greatest care, and had them brought here on the backs of two Indians'; he will send them in November when they are no longer flowering and the bulbs are suitable for transmission; 'I claim the honour of having first discovered and introduced this extraordinary plant. I mention this because I am in dispute with Mr Skinner [George Ure Skinner, British merchant and naturalist in Guatemala] about it'

Hartweg's accounts for 17 Jul-16 Aug 1840 comprise 'monthly allowance' $45.7, 'wages of mozo [servant]' $10, 'keeping of 2 horses & 1 mule' $11.7, 'shoeing' $1.4 and 'Indians to dig up bulbs, to carry plants &c, & 2 guides up the Volcan de Agua' $4. Written from Guatemala [Guatemala City, Guatemala]

Postmarked ('11NO11 1840', 'Margate ship lre [letter]'). An opened seal is attached to the letter. Annotated on the outside: 'Received Sept 5th and forwarded from Belize by George Nicholson [merchant in Belize]'

Letter No 44

Boxes HS64-65 were received by Messrs Wright & Nicholson [merchants] at Belize; he read in a Belize newspaper that two boxes of plants were shipped on the Renown on 31 Jul, and two others on the Ceres on 1 Aug: 'the former I suppose to be mine, and the latter Mr Skinner's [George Ure Skinner, British merchant and naturalist in Guatemala]'; he is compiling another box of bulbs and seeds, including a species of Cebadilla [Sabadilla] from the Volcan de Agua [Volcan de Agua, Guatemala], 'less branched' than the one collected near Angangueo, and with a yellowish flower; on an excursion to Chimaltenango [Guatemala] and Comatapan [San Juan Comalapa, Guatemala] he found 'chumaque' (Laelia superbiens) growing wild, 'but scarce, and not so fine plants as those sent from Malacatan [Malacatan, Guatemala] and Rio Hondo [Rio Hondo, Guatemala]'; he found two more plants in Tejar [El Tejar, Guatemala]: 'beautiful […] the one with seven, and the other with eight flower stems on it, which are at present from three to four feet long. The pseudo-bulbs measure from 12-14 inches in length, they are two of the finest plants I ever saw. I took them off the trees with the greatest care, and had them brought here on the backs of two Indians'; he will send them in November when they are no longer flowering and the bulbs are suitable for transmission; 'I claim the honour of having first discovered and introduced this extraordinary plant. I mention this because I am in dispute with Mr Skinner [George Ure Skinner, British merchant and naturalist in Guatemala] about it'

Hartweg's accounts for 17 Jul-16 Aug 1840 comprise 'monthly allowance' $45.7, 'wages of mozo [servant]' $10, 'keeping of 2 horses & 1 mule' $11.7, 'shoeing' $1.4 and 'Indians to dig up bulbs, to carry plants &c, & 2 guides up the Volcan de Agua' $4

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)