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Letter from Mrs A.M.[Anna Maria] Walker to [Sir William Jackson Hooker]; from Colombo, [Sri-Lanka ex Ceylon]; 14 Jan 1838; four page letter comprising four images; folio 537
Date Updated: 8 January 2016
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Resource Type
Letters (Correspondence)
Creator
Walker, Mrs Anna Maria
Date
18380114
Source
Library and Archives at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Relation
Directors' Correspondence 54/537
Attribution
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
Walker thanks Hooker for encouraging her to continue her botanical drawing and advising her how to improve. The microscope, botanical illustrations and numbers of Dr Lindley's ORCHIDEAE illustrated by Bauer, are invaluable. Her analyses of plants are not always distinct due to her ignorance of plant structure. Walker has not yet tried any orchids in the ingenious press Hooker sent: none are in flower yet. She will send some orchid flowers preserved in spirit. When travelling, Walker sometimes only gets one specimen of a plant, other times her collectors bring her so many that she does not know which to draw first. She could not find her number 16 again, even in the spot her daughter, Mrs Cummen[?], first gathered it. Colonel Walker's duties call them to Kandy. On the ship 'Africa', Walker sent Hooker another collection of drawings and her journal of a tour through parts of Ceylon new to her. She discusses a scentless vanilla they encountered in the interior at Caltura. Another vanilla, which grows in the Cinnamon garden, was pronounced new by Lindley, based on a sketch Walker sent to Dr Graham. Most of Walker's drawings are of Convolvulaceae, as they are more commonly found than orchids. She did not think the Convolvulaceae were of botanical interest, but Colonel Walker has learned that Hooker is interested in them and wants to send him her drawings. Colonel Walker also hopes to send a collection of plants by the 'Tigris', Captain Stevens. Mr Knight, of the Chelsea Botanical Garden, has sent one Mr Lear to Ceylon to collect and send back living plants in Ward's glazed cases. Mr Lear is a good practical gardener; he is not a scientific botanist, but means to study it. Walker enquires about a box of living orchids she sent to Dr Graham by the 'Elera'; a glazed case sent home previously with Lady Wilmot Horton had been badly made. Walker thanked Hooker for sending COMPANION TO THE BOTANICAL MAGAZINE, but finds it is incomplete. Colonel Walker received everything written on the indigenous Hebradendron from Dr Wight, they disagree over it. Page 1 of 4.
Identifier
KDCAS10547
Collection name
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Plant name
[family ]
Format extent (length/size)
4 images
Pages
4
Date Updated: 27 March 2013
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Resource Type
Letters (Correspondence)
Creator
Walker, Anna Maria
Date
18380114
Source
Library and Archives at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Relation
Directors' Correspondence 54/537
Attribution
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
Walker thanks Hooker for encouraging her to continue her botanical drawing and advising her how to improve. The microscope, botanical illustrations and numbers of Dr Lindley's ORCHIDEAE illustrated by Bauer, are invaluable. Her analyses of plants are not always distinct due to her ignorance of plant structure. Walker has not yet tried any orchids in the ingenious press Hooker sent: none are in flower yet. She will send some orchid flowers preserved in spirit. When travelling, Walker sometimes only gets one specimen of a plant, other times her collectors bring her so many that she does not know which to draw first. She could not find her number 16 again, even in the spot her daughter, Mrs Cummen[?], first gathered it. Colonel Walker's duties call them to Kandy. On the ship 'Africa', Walker sent Hooker another collection of drawings and her journal of a tour through parts of Ceylon new to her. She discusses a scentless vanilla they encountered in the interior at Caltura. Another vanilla, which grows in the Cinnamon garden, was pronounced new by Lindley, based on a sketch Walker sent to Dr Graham. Most of Walker's drawings are of Convolvulaceae, as they are more commonly found than orchids. She did not think the Convolvulaceae were of botanical interest, but Colonel Walker has learned that Hooker is interested in them and wants to send him her drawings. Colonel Walker also hopes to send a collection of plants by the 'Tigris', Captain Stevens. Mr Knight, of the Chelsea Botanical Garden, has sent one Mr Lear to Ceylon to collect and send back living plants in Ward's glazed cases. Mr Lear is a good practical gardener; he is not a scientific botanist, but means to study it. Walker enquires about a box of living orchids she sent to Dr Graham by the 'Elera'; a glazed case sent home previously with Lady Wilmot Horton had been badly made. Walker thanked Hooker for sending COMPANION TO THE BOTANICAL MAGAZINE, but finds it is incomplete. Colonel Walker received everything written on the indigenous Hebradendron from Dr Wight, they disagree over it. Page 1 of 4.
Identifier
KDCAS10547
Collection name
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Format extent (length/size)
4 images
Pages
4
Image 1 of 4
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