Letter from Joseph Sabine [secretary of the Horticultural Society of London] to Mr David Douglas

Title

Letter from Joseph Sabine [secretary of the Horticultural Society of London] to Mr David Douglas

Record type

Archive

Original Reference

RHS/Col/5/2/2/1

Date

26 Jul 1825

Scope & content

Written from the Horticultural Society, Regent Street, London

Annotated on the reverse: 'Received on the falls of the Columbia [Columbia River, Washington, United States of America], July 11 1826'

He is sending the letter with a box containing letters and packets from various friends of Douglas, together with other items related to the Society, on a ship bound for the north-west coast [of America]; he will not write any news, presuming Douglas's other correspondents to have done so; all is well and the garden [the Horticultural Society garden at Chiswick, London] is making progress; he received the letters from Madeira [Portugal] and Rio Janeiro [Rio de Janeiro, Brazil] together with two boxes of plants in good condition: 'the Orchideae were a good proof of your industry and exertions'; the Gesneria or Gloxinia has just flowered and is probably a new plant, as is a Caprifolium [identification unresolved as at Sep 2018]; he will enclose a letter 'from your friends in the north', which arrived after Douglas left, and an account of Douglas's election as a corresponding member of the New York Horticultural Society; according to Douglas's request, his father will be paid £25 the following month, when Sabine and Munro [Donald Munro, gardener at the Horticultural Society of London] are intending to travel to Scotland, visiting Douglas's mother and father when in Scone; Lawrence Hepburn [unidentified] has been employed on Douglas's recommendation; the Society has printed a tract with instructions on the collection of plants, enclosed with the letter and a duplicate in the box; Sabine is looking forward to Captain Hanwell's [Henry Hanwell, captain of the William and Ann] return with news and treasures from Douglas; he hopes Douglas will return safely overland: 'to have accomplished such an expedition will always be matter of credit to you hereafter'

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)