Item 7 - Letter from George Forrest, Talifu, to Isaac Bayley Balfour

1 letter, 2 sheets, 4 pages

Letter from George Forrest, China Inland Mission, Talifu [Dali], to Isaac Bayley Balfour, 'Regius Keeper', Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, dated 22 March 1905.
Forrest writes to give details of his disappointing journey south. He never reached Mengtze as Mr Wilkinson preferred Forrest to assist him in laying out ground at the new consulate outside Yunnanfu [Kunming]. Regrets small number of seeds and specimens. Reports that a letter thrown over the mission gate warns of a plot to burn down the mission and murder the missionaries; the attack to take place during the great spring fair on the 15th of the 3rd Chinese moon, i.e. 19th April. ‘Missionaries are going to take no steps in the matter … and say that if anything does take place they forbid me to shoot, but -.’
Plants referenced: Camellia; Rhododendron; Saxifrage
The letter is fire damaged with some loss.

Permission required from RBGE.

• inglês

Letter has been damaged by fire and there is already some loss and therefore must be handled with care.

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.