JDH agrees that he & Sir William Thiselton-Dyer should pay for [John Reader] Jackson's trip to Paris. JDH advises caution in dealing with [Daniel] Oliver, he believes that seclusion has led to Oliver developing 'erroneous views'. Gunther was proposed for a Royal Medal a year earlier than Oliver. The Exhibition [Exposition Universelle, third Paris World's Fair] will close at the end of November but exhibitors can sell off exhibits from the end of October.
Transcript
Hotel l'Amiral,[Paris]
Wednesday
Oct. 23. [18]78
My dear Dyer*1,
Our letters crossed yesterday.
I shall be quite glad to join you in paying for Jackson[']s*2 trip to Paris. I assume you mean it to be a present from ourselves -- but whichever way you think best -- I will contribute my £5.0.0[.] He deserves any little thing we do for him, he is always so obliging in little matters.
What you say of Oliver does not so much surprise as distress me. It is evident that
Hotel l'Amiral,[Paris]
Wednesday
Oct. 23. [18]78
My dear Dyer*1,
Our letters crossed yesterday.
I shall be quite glad to join you in paying for Jackson[']s*2 trip to Paris. I assume you mean it to be a present from ourselves -- but whichever way you think best -- I will contribute my £5.0.0[.] He deserves any little thing we do for him, he is always so obliging in little matters.
What you say of Oliver does not so much surprise as distress me. It is evident that
we must exercise the greatest caution & self-control in our dealings with him; in fact circumspection. We are in a critical condition as concerns the Herbarium, & Oliver's*3 long persistence in shutting out the world, & evading his duty "duty to his neighbours" in any broad way has led to his harboring quite erroneous views. It is no use writing about this matter as I shall soon be home[.] Meanwhile it would perhaps be best that you discussed these matters as little as possible with him.
Alas, I find that Gunther was
proposed for a Royal Medal in the previous year, & hence his name stands before Oliver's. I quite forgot that.
Ever aff[ectionate]ly Y[our]s | J.D. Hooker [signature]
The Exhibition*4 does not close until end of November, but after this month Exhibitiors may sell & part with their things.
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. John Reader Jackson. Keeper of the Museums at the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (1858--1901).
3. Daniel Oliver (1830--1916). Botanist. In 1858 he was invited to Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew to classify and elaborate the herbarium and library, working for a pittance he supplemented his income by becoming Professor of Botany at University College, London, (1861--1888). Official Librarian of the herbarium at Kew from 1860--1890 and keeper of the herbarium from 1864--1890.
4. Exposition Universelle. The third Paris World's Fair, held from 1 May to 10 November 1878.
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