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Letter from George Forrest, Linden Cottage, Loanhead, to Isaac Bayley Balfour at RBGE, dated 02 September 1903 accepting offer of employment.

Memo from Isaac Bayley Balfour to Mr John F. Jeffrey, Keeper of the RBGE Herbarium dated 03 September 1903 advising that George Forrest will begin work on Monday [7 September] between 9 and 10 am; note has been annotated by J.F. Jeffrey to acknowledge contents, and again on 7 September 1903 by Henry Hastings to confirm that Forrest had started work.

Letter in form of diary from George Forrest to Clementina Traill describing his journey from Bhamo to Teng Yueh [Tengchong], 13 July to 12 August 1904. Itinerary included Momauk, Namtubbi river, Kalichet, Khulongkha, Mamkha Kha, Namkhokha, Khulikha, Nam Sa Ho, Man Hsien, Lung Chang Kai, Chin Cheng, Lang Kwu Kwsi, Teng Yueh. 13-14 July – Difficulties with muleteers unwilling to set out in rain; encounter with whip snakes; cane huts at Momauk; insanitary conditions; rampant cholera; fireflies. 15 July – Description of scenery; sketch of mule panniers and box saddle. 16 July – Magnificent scenery but very dangerous steep road. Two ground orchids gathered at elevation of c.4,500 feet but unable to dry and press them owing to damp. 17 July – Long day in blazing sun and moist heat; jungle swarming with monkeys. 18 July – Heavy rain, river too full to cross; return to camp. 19 July – Soaking rain; wishes he had taken advice to postpone journey for a month. 20 July – Arrival at Chinese border; description of dress and weapons of frontier guards. Unable to cross river at Nam Sa Ho; building of bridge by 50 coolies; visit from local headmen and description of their dress. 25 July – Bad roads on way to Man Hsien; passed through village bazaar where ‘the filth and stench are completely beyond my powers of description’. 26 July – Description of rice terraces, villages, their houses and layout; slept overnight in temple. 27 July – Awakened around 4am by priest beating a tom-tom and ringing a bell; burning of joss sticks; people arriving to say prayers while Forrest was dressing and having breakfast. 30 July – His first meal of real Chinese food, heavily soaked in pork fat; kept awake by a theatrical performance ‘a sort of marionette show, with the shadows of the figures being cast on a screen … In fact a sort of glorified Punch and Judy business.’ 1 August – Men refuse to budge, owing to rain. Regrets missing Mr Litton, the Honorary Consul, who passed through very early en route to Man Hsien. 3 August – Arrival in Teng Yueh. 4-12 August –Resting in Teng Yueh. Hospitable reception by Mr Litton, Hon Cecil Napier, Chief Commissioner of Customs and his two assistants; description of the town and its market; although safe, it is always necessary to go armed and with an escort of Chinese soldiers ‘…the people in some quarters are very insulting still, although they are afraid to do much.’ Invited by Litton to go north with him to the borders of Tibet where the mountains range from 14,000 to 20,000 feet. No-one has worked so far north before and Forrest should get among the alpine plants.

[Incomplete, pages numbered 5-22] Left Tali [Dali] on 14th [November] to go to Lichiang [Lijiang] and from there up to the top of the great Yangtse bend to work the base of the glacier. Collected many seeds in Lichiang valley and describes an especially curious plant which may be new. On 28th November set out for Chung Tien via A Hsi. Gives detailed description of Tibetan house and wonders how the inhabitants of the plateau survive in winter; as there is nothing to take them outside they ‘simply sit and snooze and smoke themselves over their pine and yak dung fires.’ Describes shooting his first wolf and a shooting competition with a local Tibetan chief; intensity of cold; arrival at Chong Ku. Promises to send Clem a set of half a dozen Chinese tea cups. Plants mentioned: Allium (p.9); Azalea (pp.8-9, 15); Bamboo (p.17); Corn (p.10); Gentian (pp.7, 9, 15); Geranium (p.15); Lily (p.12); Lychnis (p.9); Paeonia (p.9); Pine (pp.6, 8, 10, 17); Primula (p.15); Rhododendron (pp.7-9, 15); Saxifrage (pp.9-10, 15); Senecio (p.10)

This is a small series of items relating to the section of Rhododendron giganteum - now named Rhododendron protistum found and collected by George Forrest and his collectors in Yunnan, China on the 15th March 1931. The series consists of the specimen itself, and two of its museum labels.
For more information: (right click, open link in new tab) https://stories.rbge.org.uk/archives/14186

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.