FRG/1 Correspondence
• 1: Box of Forrest correspondence, 1903-08 (to and from Clementina, I.B. Balfour, Bulley, Family), Forrest related correspondence, copies of his birth and marriage certificates, transcripts of his diary 1904-05, ‘Account of a Journey on the Upper Salwin, October to December 1905’, copy of the article ‘Land of the Crossbow, March 9th 1906’ from the National Geographic Magazine, (carbon copy, original version is in the red notebook under letter 3, filed in
the same box)
• 2: Box of Forrest correspondence, 1909-1911 – correspondence regarding his Yunnan expedition in 1910, and with I.B. Balfour and correspondence relating to Forrest.
• 3a: Box of Forrest correspondence with J.C. Williams 1911-1912, regarding his third expedition (February 1912-March 1915)
• 3b: Box of Forrest correspondence with J.C. Williams and I.B. Balfour, 1913-14 regarding his third expedition (February 1912- March 1915)
• 3c: Box of Forrest correspondence from 1915 regarding his third expedition (February 1912- March 1915)
• 4a: Box of Forrest correspondence from 1917-1920 regarding his fourth expedition (February 1917-March 1920)
• 4b: Box of Forrest correspondence, including I.B. Balfour and William Wright Smith, 1916-1920, regarding his fourth expedition (February 1917-March 1920)
• 5: Box of Forrest correspondence from June 1920-April 1923 regarding his fifth expedition (January 1921-March 1923)
• 6: Box of Forrest correspondence from 1922-28
• 7: Box of Forrest correspondence from 1929-1932, plus obituaries, etc.
FRG/2 Photographs
FRG/2/1 Prints:
• File of photographs marked ‘Forrest, Collectors, Human, etc.’
• File of photographs marked ‘Buildings, Temple, Graves, Towns, etc.’
• File of photographs marked ‘Mountain, Water, Bridge’
• File of photographs marked ‘Plants A-L’
• File of photographs marked ‘Plants M-Prim-’
• File of photographs marked ‘Plants Py-Z and misc.’
FRG/2/2 Glass Plate Negative Collection
FRG/3 Published work
• copy of the article ‘Land of the Crossbow’, from the National Geographic Magazine
FRG/4 Field Books
FRG/4/1 Unpublished Field Books:
• George Forrest’s field books – 27 original field books dating from 1904 to 1932
FRG/4/2 Published Field Books:
FRG/5 RBGE’s Notes relating to Forrest’s plants
• 16 folders in 15 boxes of RBGE’s plant collection notes arranged alphabetically by genus
• Three boxes of Rhododendron notes written and sent by Isaac Bayley Balfour and William Wright Smith c.1919,1921 and 1922 and Primula lists c.1914,1921 and 1922
FRG/6 Forrest’s lecture notes
• Box of lecture notes and lists of slides
• Box containing photo related lists, 1913-24 and lecture notes
FRG/7 Forrest’s collection of papers (unsorted at present)
FRG/8 maps
• Various maps of Forrest’s Botanical expeditions
• File containing maps from 1918-1922, some annotated and some hand drawn
FRG/9 - collection of work about Forrest by others, includes
• Box containing Cowan’s research from 1934 and information regarding Forrest Centenary in 1973
• Various articles referring to Forrest
• Various newspaper articles which mention George Forrest
FRG/10 RBGE Forrest ephemera – collection of objects used by / related to George Forrest
• Camera similar to one used by Forrest
Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, to Arthur Kilpin Bulley [Ness, Neston, Cheshire] dated 28 June 1905.
'...I should much like to take in hand identifications of the new things you raise. I shall be working up his dried plants and of course anything you may send will be held in trust by us as are the dried specimens from him. He will, I am sure, do great things for you. His last letter to me glowed with enthusiasm in the prospect of his northern migration.
'Mrs Traill is I am afraid rather foolish, and should have learned by now that no other reply than that you have given is possible from those who know Forrest. I do not think Miss Traill is now so unhappy – the subject is become ‘taboo’ at home.” Hopes that Bulley’s kind offer of work for Miss Traill will not be necessary.
‘If you can carry out your proposal, and have all these nurseries controlled from one centre, you will have made a great stride towards securing uniformity in garden names and safeguarding plant lovers from their present tax in buying over again one plant under a variety of names...’
Copy has been made by Balfour's assistant Henry Hastings.
Letter has been scorched with some loss, but not of text.
Typed copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, [RBGE], to A.K. Bulley [Ness, Neston, Cheshire] dated 19 August 1905.
Balfour writes briefly to let Bulley know that Forrest is alive and safe.
Letter has been scorched with some loss, but not of text.
Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to Sir Eldon Gorst, K.C.B., The Foreign Office, Downing Street, London, dated 22 August 1905.
Balfour writes to thank Gorst for his telegram [GB 235 FRG/1/1/1/1905/28], the terms of which he has communicated to Forrest's family.
Letter has been scorched with some loss; there is also some staining which has adhered a fold in the paper
Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to George Forrest, c/o Messrs Cook & Son, Tourist Agency, Rangoon, Burmah [sic] [Yangon, Myanmar] dated 26 September 1905.
Balfour writes sending the latest photographs of plants collected by Forrest and replies to his queries on species of clematis, thalictrum, delphinium, new aconites (nos. 270 and 280) and corydalis.
Plants referenced: clematis; corydalis; thalictrum; delphinium; new aconites
Forrest numbers referenced: F270, F280
Last page of letter scorched with some loss and minor water damage.
Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to A.K. Bulley, Ness, Neston, Cheshire, dated 21 August 1905.
Balfour writes to Bulley to forward communications from the Foreign Office. Balfour adds that ‘Forrest is a capital letter-writer and his next one should be full of thrilling details.’
Balfour urges Bulley to remember that Forrest’s work is ‘exploration contributing to scientific knowledge and that the life he is leading is that which he longed for, he revels in it, and we could not have realised his wish for it but for your enterprising kindness in employing him.’
Letter has been scorched.
Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to A.K. Bulley, Ness, Neston, Cheshire, dated 22 August 1905.
Balfour writes to forward further communication from the Foreign Office to A.K. Bulley.
Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to A.K. Bulley, Ness, Neston, Cheshire, dated 20 September 1905.
Balfour promises to send copies of all the photographs relating to Forrest plants that RBGE produce. Balfour is finding it difficult to identify the rhododendrons sent by Forrest from descriptions only but hopes that Dr Henry [of the Paris Herbarium?] will be able to assist. ‘I have one twig from Forrest of a veritable “blue” Rhododendron. I hope you have seed of it.' Balfour states that he wishes Bulley would allow his name to appear on the herbarium labels as he is the sponsor of the collection. He reports receiving letters from Litton amplifying the news already received via telegram; they are with Forrest's family but Balfour will send them to Bulley when he can.
Letter has been scorched with some loss, there is also some water damage.
Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to George Litton Esq., H.B.M. Consul, Teng Yueh [Tengchong], dated 25 September 1905.
Balfour thanks Litton for his letters and his kindness to George Forrest. 'Truly his escape seems to have been miraculous and we are now anxiously looking forward to his letters giving us the story of his adventures'; ‘He is all you say of him and his collections are indeed marvellous for their perfection. What he has already done is great and gives promise of even greater things in the future - but what that will be we cannot judge until we hear what has really happened to him and what his present state is.’
Letter has been scorched.
Letter from George Forrest, China Inland Mission, Talifu [Dali], to Isaac Bayley Balfour, 'Regius Keeper', Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 5 January 1905.
Forrest describes sending Balfour 213 specimens via Cook and Son, Rangoon. He returned to Dali 10 days ago from second trip north. He is unable to go further than Chung Tien as the Atunze [Atuntze, now Tehtsin] pass is blocked by snow. Has taken notes on his journey from Chung Tien down the plateau to the Yangtze, to be incorporated into Mr Litton’s report to the Government. Asks again for names of three saxifrage specimens sent with his letter of 7 September. Leaves for Yunnanfu on Tuesday 10 [January] with Consul General Wilkinson to travel south to Mengtzu. On return, Forrest will go straight to Tsekou [Cigu] and work north and east from there for rest of the year. Mr Bulley wishes him to go into Lolo country which he will do if he can get two reliable Tibetans to act as guide and servant. Intends to work across from Atunze into an area blank on the map, intersected by rivers Yangtze, Li-tang and Ya-lung. ‘The great difficulty of course is the keeping clear of the lamasseries. This is Lolo country and it would …be no use taking Chinese …The hatred between them is intense. I would only be able to manage with Tibetans and these again are entirely under the thumb of the lamas.’
Plants referenced: Rhododendron; Saxifrage
The letter is fire damaged with some loss of text.