Hooker, Sir Joseph Dalton
JHC485
The Camp, Sunningdale, Berkshire, United Kingdom
JDH/2/16 f.128
Thiselton-Dyer, Sir William Turner
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
28-2-1893
© 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 explains why he considers Dr [James William Helenus] Trail a suitable candidate for fellowship of the Royal Society. It was JDH who recommended that Trail go on the expedition up the Amazon 12 years previously & Trail made the most of the opportunity for scientific purposes making excellent collections & observations, especially papers on the palms of the Amazon published in [Henry] Trimen's journal of botany in 1876 & work on Amazon ant-housing plants. He has also published further papers, catalogued in the Royal Society Compilations & is producing more. Trail is also a productive teacher of biological science & his students have often proved excellent members of expeditions. JDH intends to add his signature to Trail's paper of qualifications.

Transcript

making large & judiciously selected collections, but made important observations on the vegetation of the river. I allude especially to his papers on the Palms of Amazons, published in Trimen's*5 Journal of Botany, (1876) a work of great research & difficulty, & on the Ant-housing plants of the region. D[octo]r Trail is further a very accomplished naturalist -- Fifteen papers of his are catalogued in the Royal Society's Compilations, published be[twe]en 1870 & 1873, & the forthcoming volume will contain many more.
As a Professor his labors in training young men in the higher

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THE CAMP,*1 SUNNINGDALE.
F[ebrua]ry 28th [18]93*2
My dear Dyer*3
I received yours' of 25th on my arrival at home an hour ago.
Yes I think that D[octo]r Trail*4 is eminently qualified as a candidate for the Royal Society's Fellowship, & I sincerely hope that he may not have to wait. It is now some 12? years since he volunteered on my recommendation for the Expedition up the Amazons, with the view of utilizing the opportunity it afforded for scientific purposes; & this he did very thoroughly: not only

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making large & judiciously selected collections, but made important observations on the vegetation of the river. I allude especially to his papers on the Palms of Amazons, published in Trimen's*5 Journal of Botany, (1876) a work of great research & difficulty, & on the Ant-housing plants of the region. D[octo]r Trail is further a very accomplished naturalist -- Fifteen papers of his are catalogued in the Royal Society's Compilations, published be[twe]en 1870 & 1873, & the forthcoming volume will contain many more.
As a Professor his labors in training young men in the higher

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walks of biological science have been productive of the best results; & as you & I know, it [is] to him we have often applied for candidates to go upon expeditions & with the best results.
I am very sorry that owing to my absence from home his paper of qualifications went in without my signature -- which I will append on the first occasion of my going to town.
Ever aff[ectionatel]y your | Jos. D. Hooker[signature]

ENDNOTES


1. Joseph Hooker had a residence built in Sunningdale, Berkshire called 'The Camp'. Completed in 1882 he lived there full time, with his second wife Hyacinth and their family, after retiring from RBG Kew in 1885.
2. This letter was also stamped at Kew on 28th April 1893 and an annotation records that It was ans[were]d. 17.xii.94.
3. 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 the Royal Horticultural Society. He married Hooker's eldest daughter Harriet in 1877.
4. James William Helenus Trail (1851--1919). British doctor, naturalist and Botanist. In 1873 he went to Brazil as botanist to the Amazon Steam Navigation Company for two years. In 1877 he was appointed Regius Professor of Botany at Aberdeen University.
5. Henry Trimen (1843--1896). British botanist. He was the curator of the medical museum at King's College, London, and lecturer on Botany at St Mary's Hospital Medical School from 1867 to 1872. He joined the botanical department of the British Museum in 1869. He was the director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Ceylon (now the Botanical Garden of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka) for sixteen years.

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