Item 11 - Letter from George Forrest, Talifu, to Isaac Bayley Balfour

1 letter, 2 sheets, 5 pages

Letter from George Forrest, China Inland Mission, Talifu [Dali], Yunnan, to Isaac Bayley Balfour, 'Regius Keeper', Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 08 April 1905.
Forrest writes that he has despatched a parcel of 105 specimens. He apologises for haste but is joining a caravan of unladen mules which will take him to Tzekou [Cigu]. There is a brief description of a mixture of seeds, collected for him by a Tibetan soldier acting as his servant who ‘returned to camp in the evening with all the seeds he had collected stuck inside his tunic, and a hopeless mixture.’ He encloses two photographs, one of primula, the other of fumaria, with description of their provenance. The photographs are no longer with the letter.
Plants referenced: Acacia; Fumaria; Gentian; Orchid; Primula
The letter has been burnt, with some loss, but not affecting the text.

Permission required from RBGE.

• inglês

The letter has been burnt, with some loss, not affecting the text; care should be taken when handling the letter.

It should be noted that the catalogue descriptions, summaries and letters may contain sensitive subjects and Forrest’s language, spellings and attitudes which may be deemed offensive now.

This Forrest correspondence collection summary has been provided by library volunteer Pauline Maclean.