Edit History
Letter from Ms Marianne North to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker; from 'between Japan and China'; 18 Jan c.1875; four page letter comprising two images; folio 842
Date Updated: 12 August 2015
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Resource Type
Letters (Correspondence)
Creator
North, Ms Marianne
Date
18750110
Source
Library and Archives at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Relation
Directors' Correspondence 151/842
Attribution
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
The bearer of this letter is Mrs Lowder, Lady Alcock's daughter-in-law. Mrs Lowder is bringing with her one or two lily roots for RBG Kew, which she says are very rare. Mrs Lowder is fleeing the cold weather and returning home for a few months. North was enchanted with the oddities of the 'strange islands' and had hoped to have been able to stay and see the beautiful spring and summer there, but a month at Kyoto gave her rheumatism enough 'for life' and her hands are only able to hold a pen and her feet are still useless. She is leaving for Singapore and hopes to be able to recover the use of her limbs there and then carry out her original plan of going to stay in Java. She writes principally to ask if Hooker has any of the perfect miniature trees that the Japanese delight in [bonsai]. North thinks these plants would look well in one of RBG Kew's cool houses. If Hooker cares for some, he could send to Mrs Lowder's husband for some. North notes that she has seen some odd things on her travels including the sumack[?] grafted on to the Candle tree. She thinks Hooker ought also to have what the Japanese call the 'heavenly Bamboo'. The latter is grown in pots for Christmas decoration with half the leaves red and half the leaves yellow and green and its roots are high above the earth. She thinks it would make the fortune of any Covent Garden dealer who mastered the art. She notes that the colour of the small leaved maples were quite as dazzling as anything she saw in Canada: the valley of Shinho[?] is worth a journey across the world to see when they are in their full beauty. She asks that her kind remembrances be given to Hooker's daughter and Mr Bentham. Pages 1 and 4 of 4.
Identifier
KDCAS4435
Collection name
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Format extent (length/size)
2 images
Pages
2
Date Updated: 15 October 2012
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Resource Type
Letters (Correspondence)
Creator
North, Marianne
Date
18750110
Source
Library and Archives at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Relation
Directors' Correspondence 151/842
Attribution
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
The bearer of this letter is Mrs Lowder, Lady Alcock's daughter-in-law. Mrs Lowder is bringing with her one or two lily roots for RBG Kew, which she says are very rare. Mrs Lowder is fleeing the cold weather and returning home for a few months. North was enchanted with the oddities of the 'strange islands' and had hoped to have been able to stay and see the beautiful spring and summer there, but a month at Kyoto gave her rheumatism enough 'for life' and her hands are only able to hold a pen and her feet are still useless. She is leaving for Singapore and hopes to be able to recover the use of her limbs there and then carry out her original plan of going to stay in Java. She writes principally to ask if Hooker has any of the perfect miniature trees that the Japanese delight in [bonsai]. North thinks these plants would look well in one of RBG Kew's cool houses. If Hooker cares for some, he could send to Mrs Lowder's husband for some. North notes that she has seen some odd things on her travels including the sumack[?] grafted on to the Candle tree. She thinks Hooker ought also to have what the Japanese call the 'heavenly Bamboo'. The latter is grown in pots for Christmas decoration with half the leaves red and half the leaves yellow and green and its roots are high above the earth. She thinks it would make the fortune of any Covent Garden dealer who mastered the art. She notes that the colour of the small leaved maples were quite as dazzling as anything she saw in Canada: the valley of Shinho[?] is worth a journey across the world to see when they are in their full beauty. She asks that her kind remembrances be given to Hooker's daughter and Mr Bentham. Pages 1 and 4 of 4.
Identifier
KDCAS4435
Collection name
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Format extent (length/size)
2 images
Pages
2
Date Updated: 3 February 2012
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Resource Type
Letters (Correspondence)
Creator
North, Marianne
Date
1875-01-10
Source
Library and Archives at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Relation
Directors' Correspondence 151/842
Attribution
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
Description
The bearer of this letter is Mrs Lowder, Lady Alcock's daughter-in-law. Mrs Lowder is bringing with her one or two lily roots for RBG Kew, which she says are very rare. Mrs Lowder is fleeing the cold weather and returning home for a few months. North was enchanted with the oddities of the 'strange islands' and had hoped to have been able to stay and see the beautiful spring and summer there, but a month at Kyoto gave her rheumatism enough 'for life' and her hands are only able to hold a pen and her feet are still useless. She is leaving for Singapore and hopes to be able to recover the use of her limbs there and then carry out her original plan of going to stay in Java. She writes principally to ask if Hooker has any of the perfect miniature trees that the Japanese delight in [bonsai]. North thinks these plants would look well in one of RBG Kew's cool houses. If Hooker cares for some, he could send to Mrs Lowder's husband for some. North notes that she has seen some odd things on her travels including the sumack[?] grafted on to the Candle tree. She thinks Hooker ought also to have what the Japanese call the 'heavenly Bamboo'. The latter is grown in pots for Christmas decoration with half the leaves red and half the leaves yellow and green and its roots are high above the earth. She thinks it would make the fortune of any Covent Garden dealer who mastered the art. She notes that the colour of the small leaved maples were quite as dazzling as anything she saw in Canada: the valley of Shinho[?] is worth a journey across the world to see when they are in their full beauty. She asks that her kind remembrances be given to Hooker's daughter and Mr Bentham. Pages 1 and 4 of 4.
Identifier
KDCAS4435
Collection name
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: Archives: Directors' Correspondence
Format extent (length/size)
2 images
Pages
2
Image 1 of 2
╳
We're sorry. You don't appear to have permission to access the item.
Full access to these resources typically requires affiliation with a partnering organization. (For example, researchers are often granted access through their affiliation with a university library.)
If you have an institutional affiliation that provides you access, try logging in via your institution
Have access with an individual account? Login here
If you would like to learn more about access options or believe you received this message in error, please contact us.