Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
JHC434
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom
JDH/2/16 f.78
Thiselton-Dyer, Sir William Turner
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
14-9-1881
© Descendants of Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
Letters to Thiselton-Dyer
The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
English
Original MS
3 page letter over 1 folio
 

JDH informs Sir William Turner Thiselton-Dyer [WTTD] of various deliveries & correspondence received or anticipated at RBG Kew & notifies him of RBG Kew plants received elsewhere. Some Madras matting has come for John Reader Jackson [of the RBG Kew museum]. JDH has sent some things to Regel. Treub has received his case & is returning it to RBG Kew filled with Dischidia rafflesiana & Kaulfussia. Daniel Morris written, announcing the safe arrival of 2 Wardian Cases from Nancy & expressing his pleasure at the growth of Landolphias in Jamaica. Mr [Johannes Eugenius Bulow] Warming is sending dried Cycad leaves for WTTD, Cameron is sending C. circinalis from the jungles of Deecan, & Kirk a box of bulbs. Arenga saccharifera arrived in the Bahamas in good condition. The Athens Consul is sending Salvia apples from [Theodor Heinrich Hermann von] Heldreich & a footstool of stems of Ferula communis. Alfred Russel Wallace is sending some more Herbaceous plants. JDH declined to supply the Jamaica men with outfits on the behalf of the C.O. [Colonial Office?]. King's cases have arrived but only Magnolia sphenocarpa is in a fit state. Espeut is angling for RBG Kew to recommend his bananas. Henry Trimen has written complaining about his staffing problems at 'Haggalla' [Hakgala] Garden; where Clarke is ill with Typhus. Horne has sent WTTD a copy of his new book. Frederick Currey has died, he left his fungi to RBG Kew.

Transcript


ROYAL GARDENS KEW
Sept. 14 / [18]81
Dear Dyer*1,
I think I had best send you the enclosed & you can tell me what you would like done; whether you will act, or debate Vines, or what. --
It is all straight sailing here. The Madras mattings have come, & I have given the list to [John Reader] Jackson*2. I have sent a box of nice things to Regel.
Treub announces[?] the arrival of his case in very good order, & is sending it back with, amongst other things, Dischidia Rafflesiana & Kaulfussia. The things from Nancy are announced[?], Morris*3 writes, as usual, in excellent spirits

Page 1


ROYAL GARDENS KEW
Sept. 14 / [18]81
Dear Dyer*1,
I think I had best send you the enclosed & you can tell me what you would like done; whether you will act, or debate Vines, or what. --
It is all straight sailing here. The Madras mattings have come, & I have given the list to [John Reader] Jackson*2. I have sent a box of nice things to Regel.
Treub announces[?] the arrival of his case in very good order, & is sending it back with, amongst other things, Dischidia Rafflesiana & Kaulfussia. The things from Nancy are announced[?], Morris*3 writes, as usual, in excellent spirits

Page 2

announcing safe arrival of 2 Wardian cases in good condition, & is delighted with growth of Landolphias in Jamaica. [Johannes Eugenius Bulow?] Warming is sending dried Cycad leaves for you.
Cameron sending C. circinalis from jungles of Deecan.
Kirk is sending a box of bulbs.
Arenga saccharifera arrived in Bahamas in perfect order, only one dead.
Athens Consul is sending Salvia Apples from [Theodor Heinrich Hermann von] Heldreich & a footstool of stems of Ferula communis!
Alf[red]. Wallace*4 is sending a few sprats to catch mackerel in shape of more herbaceous plants.
The C.O. wanted us to undertake the providing outfits for the Jamaica men & sending bills to them. I declined & they have paid over £30

Page 3

each to the two youngsters.
King's cases have arrived in wretched state. I find but one plant worth having, Magnolia sphenocarpa.
Espeut[?] sends a long yarn & is sending us 50 lbs of dried Bananas wanting us to recommend them!
[Henry] Trimen sends 12 pages of a screed, but there is little in it beyond a wail over Haggalla [Hakgala?], Cameron Clarke being extremely ill with Typhus, as is a Cingalese sent up to take his place.
Horne's book is out, he has sent you a copy.
Poor [Frederick] Currey is dead & was buried yesterday -- he died suddenly & has left his Fungi to Kew.
With love to Harriet
Ev[er] aff[ectionate]ly Y[our]s | J.D. Hooker [signature]

ENDNOTES


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 (1837--1920). Curator of the Museums of Economic Botany at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew from 1858 to 1901.
3. Daniel Morris (1844--1933). Botanist. Assistant at the Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka 1877--1879 where he studied coffee diseases. Director of Public Gardens, Jamaica 1879--1886. Assistant Director Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1886--1898. Imperial Commissioner of Agriculture, West Indies 1898--1908.
4. Alfred Russel Wallace (1822--1913). British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist. Best known for independently conceiving the theory of evolution through natural selection. His paper on the subject was jointly published with some of Charles Darwin's writing in 1858 and presented by Joseph Hooker and Charles Lyell to the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858.

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