Holograph letter, November 10, 1823 from Dr. Thomas Horsfield, to William Evans

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Letter documents a list of seeds sent by Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist and surgeon with the East India Company, from Nepal to England. The seeds were the first ever landed in England from Nepal.

Contribution from Singapore Memories website (4 Mar 2025) --
Page 1 -- Dear Sir, Having been harassed on Friday evening, Novr. 7th, with official letters of the same date, conveying the melancholy tidings of the death of Mr. Christiana, I took the liberty of requesting Mr. Warden to ask the Bombay Company to summon and grant for two hours the final remaining of the Warehouse. These letters also communicated the place, where all of my services during the hardness, & the transport of the tea was, I found saturated, falling low the same. Out the capsules & 701.- being included in papers to resist mice in the storage. Whereas between the late season, was 466 from Nepal. The formation was all ruined, many of these are seeds to be delivered to Botanists, its fairness & rural character appears to be most splendid. Allan Cowell Esq.------ Page 2 -- The seeds from Nepal are named in a few instances only; most of the packages are simply marked Nepal. It would therefore require careful examination and comparison to determine their actual names. There appear to be some duplicates among them, but, as far as my acquaintance has extended, they are not very numerous. The seeds from the further sources are all perfectly free from mice or injury of any kind, but whether they are easily or fast promising really useful varieties is to be proved. Not a single root in the valley of Nepal, so renowned at Quatsah, have I seen pass sufficiently healthy and fit in the passage. I did not like that they were all thrown packed up with care and sufficiency, but knowing my responsibility in sending, I was filled with much mortification and despair but had flattered if the desire of the Hon. the Chairman to be forwarded with care, I shall be happy to be honored with your commands on the subject, in order to forward it without delay. I have the honour to be, Dear Sir, Your very faithful servant, Th. Horsfield 14th Novr. 1823 ------ Page 3 -- List of seeds from the Garden at Calcutta Celosia cretica Vicia cracca Physalis tamara Solanum tomentosum Bignonia undulata Ecolobium undulatum Dillenia indica Abutilon tiliaceum Cordia macellaria Torenia edentula & cordata Calodendrum oppositifolium Dalbergia rostrata Mimosa esculenta Olea excelsa Mimosa Drummondiana Murraya Calcutta Calodendrum nutans Eclipta pubescens Urena lobata Nicotella undulata Helogyne fruticulosa Justica rubra Vernonia fulvovens Verbena macrophylla ------ Page 4 -- Coleza bucculenta Pachygone ovata/pluralis (unclear, possibly "floribunda") Calotropis incana Didiscus flexuosus Triumfetta Bartramia Rhamnus Zizyphus Mimulus Crenshaw Vinca Indora Quandrangula grandidentata Spinacia recolecta Ungeria Unguiculara Bauhinia humistrata Quandrangula digitatis Sida pringleiopsis Sida aurita Quisqualis luciosa Rubus macrophylla Urena lobata Erinus florens fortis Thevetia neriifolia Onosma calliphoena Tritonia lutea et Triphyllastrum? Lophospermum barbatum Phlox venosa ------ Page 5 -- List of seeds from Nepal. Symplocos pulcherrimus. Thunbergia coccinea. Osysis Nepalensis. Verona floribunda. Spondias excelsa. Perakana glabra. Ixora racemosa. Chamisa crislea. Alla oblongum. Vitesia fock dominica. Tetranthera Anemone Althea Cynoglossum Dipterocarpus Anthocleista vialis Myrsine Dioscorea Granvillea Thallianthus Myrsine beforia Hypericum Coffea Adoratissima ------ Page 6 -- Rubus Gongona Cucurbitacea Lactuca Umbellata Vitis Halesia diptera Eleusine Phaseolus Rhododendron Andromeda Boehmeria Chionanthus Symplocos laurina? Polygonum Pleurostachys Apisa Smilax Leptospermum Rhododendron Iris vers. Nepalensis Menziesia Oenothera floribunda us. by by J.P. ------ Page 7 -- Blank Page