JDH writes that he is pleased William Thiselton-Dyer is starting work on the Asclepiadoideae [for FLORA CAPENSIS]. The herbarium of Robert Wight will be at Thiselton-Dyer's disposal. William Henry Harvey is a model of how to approach complex systematic work. JDH approves of Thiselton-Dyer's plan to have an educational museum in the [botany] department [of Royal College of Science for Ireland]. Discusses sending Welwitschia specimens for the museum, 2 live specimens have already been sent from RBG Kew to Glasnevin [National Botanic Gardens, Ireland]. JDH will send Thiselton-Dyer Asclepiad flowers as they bloom at RBG Kew & a copy of Benjamin Delessert's ICONES SELECTAE PLANTARUM QUAS IN SYSTEMATE UNIVERSALI with figures by Joseph Decaisne. JDH adds he has not heard from India House about a flora of India, he is concerned about 'the neuralgia' & would like Salix specimens from Dr Moore for Kew's new 'Salicetum'.
Transcript
talks of an exotic[?] tour[?], I fancy that by a little care, in not arousing jealousy, you will soon have full power to work when you will. Dr [William Henry] Harvey's example was the best; he set himself down to work, & overcame difficulties by slow degrees, above all never troubling himself about the idleness fibbery and tall tattle that went on around him. He was a wonderfully single minded man.
Your idea of an Educational
ROYAL GARDENS KEW
Fe[bruar]y 21/[18]71
Dear Mr Dyer *1
I am heartily glad that you find yourself in a position to begin work *2; feeling sure that you will very soon find an intense, indeed absorbing interest in a difficult piece of systematic work -- & this you will have in the Asclepiads -- I had another talk with Dr [Robert] Wight *3 the other night, & he again assured me, that the Herbarium & its fires, should be at your day--long disposal. & as he still
talks of an exotic[?] tour[?], I fancy that by a little care, in not arousing jealousy, you will soon have full power to work when you will. Dr [William Henry] Harvey's example was the best; he set himself down to work, & overcame difficulties by slow degrees, above all never troubling himself about the idleness fibbery and tall tattle that went on around him. He was a wonderfully single minded man.
Your idea of an Educational
Museum at the Department *4 is an excellent one. & as you say should not interfere with the Glasnevin Museum. You will find the task of arranging &c a very instructive one, & we may be able to help you a little from Kew. We have had such demands for Welwitschia, that I do not like to send another to Dublin, which has had 2 from us already. but I will give a slice & Cone, which with drawings would really be more instructive than a whole specimen. They never were to be had except from
Kew -- the produce of our "bow & spear".
Glasnevin is an excellent Garden.
I shall now look out to send you fresh Asclepiad flowers as they appear here in the Gardens: which will I hope help you in your difficult task. When you are in full swing I can lend you my copy of the vol. of Delessert's Icones *5 with [Joseph] Decaisne's figures.
No answer yet from the India House about "Flora India".
Ever v[er]y s[incerel]y y[our]s | Jos. D. Hooker[signature]
I am truly concerned to hear of the Neuralgia.
*6 P.S. Has Dr Moore a good collection in of Salices; please ask him with my compliments; as if so I will write & beg him to send me some for our new Salicetum at Kew.
1. Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer (1843--1928). British botanist and third Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (1885--1905). He succeeded Joseph Hooker in the role after serving as his Assistant Director for ten years. He previously held professorships at the Royal Agricultural College Cirencester, Royal College of Science for Ireland and Royal Horticultural Society. He married Hooker's eldest daughter Harriet in 1877.
2. Hooker is likely referring to Thiselton-Dyer working on description for Flora Capensis, an arrangement proposed in preceding correspondence.
3. Robert Wight (1796--1872). Scottish surgeon and botanist. Director of the Botanic Garden in Madras, India (1822--1828) and naturalist to the East India Company. He made extensive collections of Indian plants and published Icones Plantarum Indiae Orientalis (Illustrations of the plants of Eastern India) in six volumes in 1856.
4. Probably refers to the Department of Botany at the Royal College of Science for Ireland where Thiselton--Dyer was Professor of Botany at this time (1871).
5. Delessert, B. (1820--1846) Icones selectae plantarum quas in systemate universali :ex herbariis parisiensibus, praesertim ex Lessertiano /descripsit Aug. Pyr. de Candolle, ex archetypis speciminibus a P.J.F. Turpin delineatae et editae a Benj. De Lessert, Parisiis: Apud Fortin Masson et Sociorum.
6. The wording from here to the end of the document is written vertically upwards in the top left hand corner of page 1.
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