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letters, documents and photographs from the arcihves left by John Jacob Lavranos, and printed copy of field notebooks

Seven samples of wood displayed at the International Forestry Exhibition held in Edinburgh in 1884 - all are labelled with "Sierra Leone, Edinburgh Forestry Exhibition, 1884" - additional markings are as follows:

• No 5, Gree-Gree, Greegree, 1884.83.31
• Beck, 1884.83.32
• Koronko, Coronko, Kronko, 1884.83.39
• Oak, [Teak scored out], 1884.83.41
• Conta-Cobang, Contabang, Cotan Cobang, 1884.83.43
• Koondee, Cundee, 1884.83.46
• White Brimstone, 1884.83.47
  The Exhibition Catalogue indicates that the Government of Sierra Leone had a stand at the exhibition where they displayed "Specimens of the Woods of the Colony, native, polished 1865, redone 1884" - it is assumed that these may have been part of this display.

10 folders of papers, and survey sheets relating to Monty Faithfull's survey work on Bass Rock (square 6087), Birk Cleugh Hill (square 6665) and Dunglass / Bilsdean (squares 7671 and 7672). Includes maps and was donated to RBGE in August 2022 by Monty's son John Faithfull along with Monty's herbarium specimens. Unfortunately, some of the herbarium specimens had to be destroyed as they were in a degraded state- there are scans of these amongst the papers, taken by RBGE Herbarium assistant Lesley Scott who transferred the papers to the Archives in March 2023.

• Bass Rock (square 6087) folders x 3; maps and diagrams (includes photographs taken by Faithfull and a collection of old postcards showing Bass Rock); 'Various docs' and Botany of the Lothians, 1982-, final survey sheets.
• Birk Cleugh Hill (square 6665) folders x 2; Old records now transferred, 1993, and Bot Soc Survey, Final Species Lists.
• Dunglass folder - 'Individual Dunglass Plant Records, 78-94 - includes correspondence regarding Mertensia.
• Dunglass Mains Estate (square 7671) folders x2; Old records, transferred, 1994; and Bot Soc Survey Final Species Lists
• Dunglass / Bilsdean (square 7672) folders x2; Old records; and Bot Soc Survey Final Species Lists

small range of letters, photocopies of letters and references relating to William Jackson Hooker as follows:

• "For the Edinburgh Museum" - A selection of plants from the Arctic Herbarium put into Dr Hooker's hands by Captain Parry for publication in the Appendix to Captain Parry's second voyage - a considerable number of the cryptogamic plants mentioned in that Appendix only afforded specimens to identify the species by, and were not worth preserving in any of the collections being much injured or mixed with mosses and Jungermannia. Of several others, particularly amongst the Ph[illegible] Plants, there were only unique specimens which are deposited in the British Museum, dated April 5th 1825, W.J. Hooker, Glasgow
• letter from W.J. Hooker, Glasgow to Dr Gillies, Mendoza, South America, 18 September 1825 (Rec'd 19 February 1826, answered 7 April 1826) Beginning of letter missing, only last page here: "The Dr, however, works hard at Indian Botany, and is going on with his Commentary on Rheede and on Rumphius, the [illegible] printed in the Linnean, the other in the Wernerian Society Transaction. I beseech you to write to me when you have leisure. I take a great interest in all your pursuits and in the prosperity and welfare of your adopted country, of which your journal have conveyed to me much information. Continue your exertions too in favour of Botany. Collect all you can in the neighbourhood of Mendoza as well as at a distance from it and be assured what you so get together will prove valuable. I am, my dear Sir, with very sincere regard, your very faithful and obliged, W. J. Hooker - letter sent to RBGE by Mr David H. Peffers in 1935, see below.
• Photocopy of letter from John MacQueen Cowan, Assistant Keeper at RBGE to Mr David H. Peffers, Coldstream on Tweed, 10 January 1935 (original filed under Peffers in W.W. Smith correspondence; expressing gratitude for letter of 8 January 1935 with enclosures, including portrait of David Tod and thanking him for page of Hooker's correspondence to Dr Gillies.
• 2 letters - part of a gift to RBGE of letters (mostly to W.H. Campbell, Secretary of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh) by Dr David Mann, Secretary of the Bot Soc for safekeeping in the Archives. Letters originally came from Mr Edward Aglen - as follows- first is an original letter, dated 30 March 1836, from William Jackson Hooker, Glasgow to W.H. Campbell, agreeing to insert the notice of the new Botanical Society into the earliest number of the Companion to the Botanical Magazine: "I could have wished that you or Dr. Greville had drawn up any further semantic upon the subject that it is desirable to [illegible] because you are so much better acquainted with the nature of the Institution than I can [sensibly?] be. However, I shall very willingly say a few words in its favour. I could not myself undertake to perform the duties of a Local Secretary, nor do I know a single creature in all the west of Scotland who deserves the name of Botanist or who is fit to be charged with the Office in question, save Mr Gardner and he is going off in a few weeks to South America.... The other letter is a photocopy - W.J. Hooker to H.C. Campbell (but same address as W.H. Campbell - intended for him?) dated January 1837 - mention of announcing discovery of Erica vagrans in Ireland in his Companion - letter needs to be properly read.

1 box containing book of lichen dyed samples and list 'Native Plants used as Dyes in Tweed Making'

• file: 'The Dyeing Properties of some Scottish Lichens and of a few other materials' Pattern Book by T.S. Patterson D.Sc. Ph.D University of Glasgow
• report: Report on the Frequency of Occurrence of Dye-Producing Lichens in Scotland by Edward Stewart. M.A., B.Sc. Fellow of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh.
• list: Native Plants used as Dyes in Tweed Making, includes extracts from papers describing experiments on the dyeing property of lichens by W. Lauder Lindsay, M.D., Assistant Physician, Crichton Royal Institution, Dumfries, 1854-1855, and list of lichens which yield dyes based on Les Lichens Utiles by F. Henneguy, Paris, 1883, and Further list of Highland Native Dyes from Occasional Papers by R.C. Maclagan pp. n.d. Paper on 'Highland Dyeing' read before Royal Scottish Society of Arts, 1898 [various versions of these lists - will need sorting before proper listing and cataloguing]
• report: 'Notes on Occurrence and Distribution in Scotland of Dye-Producing Lichens, Supplementary to report on Occurrence of Lecanora tartarea Ach. by E.J.A. Stewart, M.A., B.Sc.
• report: 'The Dyeing Properties of some Scottish Lichens and of a few other materials' by T.S. Paterson, D.Sc. Ph.D., University of Glasgow
• documentation showing that Brian Coppins bought this batch of material from an Antiquarian Booksellers in 1998.

Set of material relating to David Wilkie and his work including:
book of typed notes on gentians
Wilkie's typewriter
3 photograph albums of plants at RBGE
wooden box of microscope slides

11 binders of Mike Richardson's coprolitic fungi collection notes, taken from samples of animal dung between c. 1996-2020, from locations around the U.K., Iceland and the Falkland Islands.

A collection of items relating to George Forrest and his family comprising:
GB 235 FIA/1/1: ‘Rhododendrons and the Various Hybrids’, by J.G. Millais, 1917, No.6, signed by author and annotated by George Forrest
GB 235 FIA/1/2: ‘Rhododendrons and the Various Hybrids’, 2nd Series, by J.G. Millais, 1924, No.5

GB 235 FIA/2/1-7: 7 x ‘Marine Algae of Joppa’ by George William Traill, 1886 (inc. author’s copy(1), Phebe M. Traill(2), W.H. Traill(3), scored out name(4) and 3 unsigned books(5-7, 5 possibly Clementina Traill))
GB 235 FIA/2/8: 1 x ‘Marine Algae of Elie’, by George William Traill, reprint from the Transactions of the Botanical Society of Scotland, 1888
GB 235 FIA/2/9: 1 x ‘Marine Algae of the Orkney Islands’ by George William Traill, 1890, H.C.M.W. (Clementina) Traill’s copy

GB 235 FIA/3: 1 box of 87 microscope slides, mostly trees and shrubs, made by Dr G. Ian Forrest (G. Forrest’s grandson) between 1959 and 1960 whilst studying for his B.Sc in Botany at University College London.

GB 235 ARM/1 - Lecture on 'Stimulation of Plant Growth' given at 3pm on the 5th March 1912 to the Royal Horticultural Society, Vincent Square, Westminster, this is a typescript from shorthand notes taken by Mr. C.E. Barnett of Grecian Chambers, Devereux Court, W.C. London. These are notes of a lecture on how plants are stimulated to grow, with practical demonstrations.
GB 235 ARM/2 - Lecture on 'Enzymes in Relation to Plant Growth' given on the 3rd June 1921 at King's College, Cambridge. Consists of two lectures on the same subject with demonstrations, slides and blackboard formulae, covering enzymes, their definitions and how they are believed to interact to promote plant growth.