Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society of London [George Bentham]
Information
Title
Letter from Theodor Hartweg to the secretary of Horticultural Society of London [George Bentham]
Record type
Archive
Original Reference
RHS/Col/7/1/1/86
Date
12 Jan 1843
Scope & content
Written from Bogota [Bogota, Colombia]
Letter No 69
He left Popayan [Popayan, Colombia] on 12 Dec and arrived on 1 Jan with his collections; his mules are 'cut up' from the length and bad state of the road, but are recovering; he was ill with fever for several days during the journey due to the sudden change in temperature between the valley of Magdalena [Colombia] and the cold tableland of Bogota; he delivered his letters of introduction, but had to return to bed afterwards: 'now between fever and diet I am reduced to such a state of weakness as to be unable to follow my occupation for eight or ten days to come'; he enquired after letters and papers at the British consulate and the post office, but there was nothing, and he has not heard from Messrs Polhemus & Mickle [Charles Polhemus and Edward Mickle, American shipping agents in Ecuador] for four months, although he wrote to them thanking them for their assistance; he is running out of cash, and needs a 'letter of credit' soon; the surroundings of the town are 'anything but encouraging', being located at the foot of a bare mountain ridge by a swampy plain, but he hopes he will find more vegetation outside the town; letters to him should be sent via Cartagena [Colombia]
Hartweg's accounts for 13 Oct-13 Nov 1842 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'keeping of three mules' $2.2, 'postage' $0.6, 'two boxes, HS115-116' $2.6, 'nails for [the boxes]' $0.5, 'hides for [the boxes]' $0.6 and 'shoeing of mules' $3.6. Written from Bogota [Bogota, Colombia]
Letter No 69
He left Popayan [Popayan, Colombia] on 12 Dec and arrived on 1 Jan with his collections; his mules are 'cut up' from the length and bad state of the road, but are recovering; he was ill with fever for several days during the journey due to the sudden change in temperature between the valley of Magdalena [Colombia] and the cold tableland of Bogota; he delivered his letters of introduction, but had to return to bed afterwards: 'now between fever and diet I am reduced to such a state of weakness as to be unable to follow my occupation for eight or ten days to come'; he enquired after letters and papers at the British consulate and the post office, but there was nothing, and he has not heard from Messrs Polhemus & Mickle [Charles Polhemus and Edward Mickle, American shipping agents in Ecuador] for four months, although he wrote to them thanking them for their assistance; he is running out of cash, and needs a 'letter of credit' soon; the surroundings of the town are 'anything but encouraging', being located at the foot of a bare mountain ridge by a swampy plain, but he hopes he will find more vegetation outside the town; letters to him should be sent via Cartagena [Colombia]
Hartweg's accounts for 13 Oct-13 Nov 1842 comprise 'monthly allowance' $50, 'keeping of three mules' $2.2, 'postage' $0.6, 'two boxes, HS115-116' $2.6, 'nails for [the boxes]' $0.5, 'hides for [the boxes]' $0.6 and 'shoeing of mules' $3.6
Level
Item
Extent
3 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)