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Copy letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to Messrs the Co-Operative Bees, Ltd., Ness, Neston, Cheshire, dated 03 October 1905.
Balfour writes with identifications of five plants sent by George Forrest: M.18 – Malva verticillata, Linn; M.113 – Oxyria Digyna, Hill; F.B.20 Cyananthus; F.B.120 Datura stramonium, Linn; F.B.31 Lysimachia; Balfour believes the cyananthus deserves a special name but hopes to settle its identification during a visit to Paris in December.
Plants referenced:

• M.18 – Malva verticillata, Linn;
• M.113 – Oxyria Digyna, Hill;
• F.B.20 Cyananthus;
• F.B.120 - Datura stramonium, Linn;
• F.B.31 Lysimachia

The letter is slightly charred.

Letter from Arthur Kilpin Bulley, 8A Rumford Place, Liverpool, to Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 16 October 1905.
Bulley writes to acknowledge receipt of Forrest’s Cyananthus photos and a brief letter from Forrest. ‘The first of his Gentians has just come into flower – not very showy – small purple fl[ower]s. It is 59 in the first consignment. You don’t appear to have any record of it under this number.’ Bulley invites Balfour to come and look over Forrest’s seedlings on his journey south.
Plants referenced: Cyananthus; Gentian
Letter has been fire damaged with some loss of text; handle with care.

Report from Henry Hastings, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to Isaac Bayley Balfour, Regius Keeper, dated 13 November 1905.
Hastings, Balfour's Assistant, writes to provide a report from Mr. McBean regarding Forrest's charge of his careless packing of photographic material. McBean is adamant the material was packed carefully and that the box must have been opened by Customs Officials and that it must have been wholly immersed in water at some point. He admits with hindsight that a soldered tin-lined box would have been preferable and offers his apologies.
The report has been charred with some loss, though not of text.

Letter from George Forrest, The Consulate, Tengyueh, Yunnan, S.W. China to Isaac Bayley Balfour, 'Regius Keeper', Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 30 December 1905.
In the absence of Mr Litton on business connected with the proposed railway extension from Bhamo to Teng Yueh [Tengchong], Forrest has been left to entertain any passing travellers. These include Mr [Aleister] Crowley of the Alpine Club, his wife and child, and a Frenchman on his way north to buy musk and furs for a Paris firm. Forrest reports that he and Litton had reached latitude 27’ 15” and a quarter degrees covering new ground on their recent trip north along the Salween valley. Forrest has collected about 300 specimens, some of them new species. Of seeds he has only about 100 species and not those he wished most to secure meaning he thinks he will have to return to Tsekou [Cigu] next season ‘as I cannot bear the thought of anyone else, especially a Frenchman securing specimens and seeds of the plants I saw.’ He thanks Balfour for Hooker’s Flora and for numbers of the Linnaean Journal and for all his kindness. Forrest asks again for advice on drying and packing orchids as he now has a large number of pseudo bulbs of what he takes to be a new species and does not know how to deal with them.
Plant referenced: Orchid
Letter is very slightly charred.

Letter from George Forrest, China Inland Mission, Talifu [Dali], to Isaac Bayley Balfour, 'Regius Keeper', Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 26 March 1905.
Forrest writes that he is pleased that the first batch of specimens has arrived and proved to be of such interest. Forrest hopes to send thousands from next season’s collecting, north and west of Tsekou [Cigu]. Forrest thanks Balfour for sending him photographic plates and books (which he has not yet received).
Letter is fire damaged with a small amount of loss.

Letter from George Forrest, China Inland Mission, Talifu [Dali], Yunnan, to Isaac Bayley Balfour, 'Regius Keeper', Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 07 April 1905.
Forrest writes to apologise that he can only muster 105 specimens but promises he will have done better by his return to Talifu next January [1906]. By next mail will send two photographs of plants, one a primula and one a fumaria.
Plants referenced: Fumaria; Primula

Letter from George Forrest, The Mission, Tsekou [Cigu], Tibet, to Isaac Bayley Balfour, Regius Keeper, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 28 April 1905.
Forrest writes briefly to let Balfour know he has arrived safely in Tsekou after a 'terribly trying' journey during which he rowed with the people at Chien Chuan cho and then lost a mule in crossing the Wei Hsi; baggage carried by coolies (Lisaws) [Lissoos] through deep snow. Forrest reports news of a revolt by lamas who had raided Batang and Atunze, killing three French missionaries and a number of local Christian converts. Forrest found Tsekou to be practically in a state of siege with daily expectation of attack, there being around 3000 lamas at Atunze and 5000 at Batang. Forrest had secured over 100 species on the way but lost many more through damp.
There is slight burning at the base of the letter.

Transcribed copy of George Litton's, H.M. Consul, Tengyueh, letter to Isaac Bayley Balfour, dated 17 May 1905, alongside the copy of a letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, to A.K. Bulley at Ness, dated 21 June 1905, and written when Balfour sent Litton's letter to Bulley.
Copy has been made by Balfour's assistant Henry Hastings.
Letter has been scorched with some loss, although not of text.

Letter from Sir Eldon Gorst, Foreign Office, to Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 17 August 1905.
Gorst is directed by the Marquess of Lansdowne 'to state that he has been requested by Mr. Litton, His Majesty's Consul at Tengyueh, in the provinces of Yunnan, to inform you that there seems unfortunately little doubt that an Englishman named Forest [sic] was murdered on July 21, in the course of the disturbances which have lately occurred in the region of the Upper Mekong.’...
Letter has been charred with some loss, though not of text.

Letter from Isaac Bayley Balfour, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, to Sir E. Gorst, The Foreign Office, Downing Street, London S.W. dated 18 August 1905.
Balfour, unaware at this point that Forrest has survived, writes to acknowledge Gorst's letter of 17 August and asks that Forrest’s mother or himself be informed of result of enquiry into Forrest’s death.
Letter is fire damaged with some loss.