Pages 44-50 of John Damper Parks' journal and notes: Travel journal of John Damper Parks
Information
Title - Pages 44-50 of John Damper Parks' journal and notes: Travel journal of John Damper Parks
Record type - Archive
Original Reference - RHS/Col/4/1/8
Date - 1 Aug 1823-20 Mar 1824
Scope & content - Pages 44-50: Narrative of travel, 1 Aug 1823-20 Mar 1824
This item is bound in the volume comprising journal and notes of John Damper Parks
(1 Aug 1823) Landing at Anger Point [Anyer, Indonesia]. Going on shore in the late afternoon. Unable to see much due to lack of time
(2 Aug 1823) Going on shore 'by permission of the master in attendance'. Walking around, but not finding many new plants
(3 Aug 1823) Sunday. 'Begging permission of the master in attendance to allow me a native to go with me' and travelling about three miles into the country. Not finding many new plants: 'I conjectured the part I had traversed had been so often looked over by English people'. Seeing some fine palms, cocoa plants and plantains. The land generally uncultivated, 'which was in some measure not pleasant to see, but no more than what is to be expected in a country like it'. Very few plants in bloom in the season and hardly any seeds. Not wishing to collect 'anything but what might be good or fully meeting with my own approbation of being worth bringing home'. Collecting some specimens
(4 Aug 1823) Sailing from Anger [Anyer, Indonesia] towards China. The master in attendance at Anyer called C.J. van Basel ('a Dutchman'). Having seen very few fruits, apart from plantain, guava, coconut and 'quite green' pineapples. Being disappointed at not finding more plants, and fearing his employers would also be disappointed. Hoping he will be more successful in China. 'Gardening is not thought much of here', with the result that it was impossible to find plants in collections, and collecting plants was therefore time-consuming, it being difficult for 'a stranger' to know what do: 'I flatter myself I could do better if I was going again, by seeing the ways of the people now, at my going on shore being completely unacquainted with the country and people'. Hoping his experiences in Anyer will make it easier in China, being more familiar with people's manners and the ways of collecting plants
(18 Aug 1823) Leaving HCS Lowther Castle anchored at Lintin [Nei or Inner Lingding Island, China]. Arriving at Macao [Macau] at 11.30pm, 'obliged to sleep in the boat all night after'
(19 Aug 1823) Going on shore to Mr Reeves [East India Company tea inspector and naturalist in China] at 5.30am. Going with Reeves to Mr Beale's [Thomas Beale, naturalist, merchant and opium speculator in Macao] garden. Taking belongings on shore and unpacking
(20 Aug 1823) Collecting specimens in Beale's garden
(21 Aug 1823) Potting plants brought from the hills. Gathering seeds from Beale's garden. In the evening going with Reeves to the hills ('as they call it') to look for wild plants
(22 Aug 1823) Collecting specimens of fruit for preserving in spirits. Going to Mr Plowden's [William Henry Chicheley Plowden, director of East India Company in Macao] with Reeves. Collecting seeds. In the evening going to the hills to look for wild plants
(23 Aug 1823) Going to the hills to collect seeds and specimens
(24 Aug 1823) Going to Casa Garden [garden of Manuel Pereira, Portuguese merchant in Macau], to Mr Livingstone's [John Livingstone, British chief surgeon in Canton] and to Mr Blaterman's [?Dutch East India company official in Macau]
(25-26 Aug 1823) Potting wild plants from the hills. Arranging specimens. Going to the hills in the evening to look for plants
(27 Aug 1823) Potting wild plants. Going to the hills in the evening
(28 Aug 1823) Potting wild plants and camellias. Going to the hills in the evening
(29-30 Aug 1823) Potting camellias. Going to the hills
(1 Sep 1823) Potting wild plants. Going to the hills
(2 Sep 1823) Potting plants
(3 Sep 1823) Potting plants. Going to Casa Garden to collect specimens
(4 Sep 1823) Arranging specimens, 'making lead labels etc'. Raining 'so heavy and steady for 24 hours as I never saw it in England', the wind and the rain spoiling 'a great many of Mr Beale's beautiful plants'
(5 Sep 1823) Wet day. Making labels 'and doing sundries'
(6 Sep 1823) Potting wild plants. Going to Lapa hills [Wanzai Island, Zhuhai, China and Macau]
(8 Sep 1823) 'Potting & sundries'
(9 Sep 1823) Going to the hills
(10 Sep 1823) Potting wild plants. Going to the hills
(11 Sep 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(12-13 Sep 1823) Going to the hills in the evening, 'as usual'
(15 Sep 1823) Potting wild plants
(16 Sep 1823) Going to Lapa hills
(17 Sep 1823) Potting plants
(18 Sep 1823) Potting Beale's camellias
(19 Sep 1823) Potting Beale's camellias and plants from Prince Wales' Island [Pulo Penang, Malaysia]
(20 Sep 1823) Potting wild plants
(22 Sep 1823) Going to Green Island [Ilha Verde, Macau]
(23 Sep 1823) Potting plants
(24 Sep 1823) Potting wild plants. Going to Lapa hills
(25 Sep 1823) 'Wet day, doing sundries'
(26 Sep 1823) Going to Lapa hills
(27 Sep 1823) Potting plants
(29-30 Sep 1823) 'Sundries'
(1 Oct 1823) Going to Lapa hills
(2 Oct 1823) Potting wild plants
(3 Oct 1823) Going to Moha hills [unidentified]
(4 Oct 1823) Going to Casa Garden. Potting wild plants
(6 Oct 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(7 Oct 1823) Going to Lapa hills
(8 Oct 1823) 'Sundries'
(9 Oct 1823) Packing to go to Canton [Guangzhou, China]
(10 Oct 1823) Going on board the chop boat at 8pm
(11 Oct 1823) Going to Canton
(12 Oct 1823) Arriving at Canton at 9pm
(13 Oct 1823) Going on shore at 9am
(14 Oct 1823) Going around Canton with Reeves
(15-17 Oct 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(18 Oct 1823) Potting wild plants
(19 Oct 1823) 'Sabbath, to church'
(20 Oct 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(21 Oct 1823) Potting wild plants
(22 Oct 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(23 Oct 1823) Potting wild plants. Going to gardens
(24 Oct 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(25 Oct 1823) Potting wild plants
(26 Oct 1823) 'Sabbath, to church'
(27-28 Oct 1823) Potting wild plants
(29 Oct 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(30 Oct 1823) Potting wild plants
(31 Oct 1823) Going to FaTee gardens [nursery gardens]
(1 Nov 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(2 Nov 1823) 'Sabbath, to church. Plants from Macao [Macau]'
(3 Nov 1823) 'Regulating plants from Macao'
(4-5 Nov 1823) Potting plants
(6-8 Nov 1823) 'Sundries'
(9 Nov 1823) 'Sabbath, to church'
(10 Nov 1823) Going to FaTee gardens
(11-15 Nov 1823) 'Sundries'
(16 Nov 1823) 'Sabbath, to church'
(17 Nov 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(18-22 Nov 1823) 'Sundries'
(23 Nov 1823) 'Sabbath, to church'
(24-26 Nov 1823) Packing plants for England
(27 Nov 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(28 Nov 1823) Packing plants for England
(29 Nov 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(30 Nov 1823) 'Sabbath, to church'
(1-6 Dec 1823) Packing plants for England
(7 Dec 1823) 'Sabbath, no churching. Mr Harding [Rev Henry Harding, chaplain of the British factory in Canton] gone to England'
(8-13 Dec 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(14 Dec 1823) 'Sabbath, no churching'
(15-20 Dec 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(21 Dec 1823) Sabbath
(22-24 Dec 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(25 Dec 1823) Christmas day
(26 Dec 1823) 'Doing sundries'
(27 Dec 1823) 'Doing sundries, as packing etc'
(28 Dec 1823) Sabbath
(29 Dec 1823) Going to FaTee gardens
(30 Dec 1823) 'Packing'
(31 Dec 1823-3 Jan 1824) 'Doing sundries'
(4 Jan 1824) Sabbath
(5 Jan 1824) 'Doing sundries'
(6 Jan 1824) Going on board the chop boat with the plants
(7 Jan 1824) Arriving at '2nd bar, Whampoa [Huangpu, China]' to board HCS Lowther Castle
(16 Jan 1824) Sailing for England
(24 Jan 1824) Going on board HCS Hythe, anchored at North Island in the Straits of Sunda [Sunda Strait] for taking in water supplies. Most of the plants on HCS Hythe from Prince of Wales' Island [Pulo Penang, Malaysia] 'no better than dead', in particular 'the ones called booarabies' and a case of mangosteens. The plants had suffered from cold at Whampoa
(19 Mar 1824) Arriving at St Helena [Saint Helena, British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha]. Going on shore
(20 Mar 1824) Going on board to fetch sick plants from various cases to send on shore to Mr Cameron [James Cameron, East India Company gardener at St Helena, who had agreed to take care of the plants and send them to England later]. Having to hurry, the ship being almost ready to sail
Extent - 7 pages
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)