WCP6099

[1]¹

Schlehdorf, Post Murnau²

10. Oct. 65.

My dear Hanbury!

In two days we leave Schlehdorf, but before I must apologize my long silence to your kind letter, sending back also the good R[ichard]. Spruce[’]s³ letter, which has much pleased me and shew⁴ the man well convenient with his likeness. It is of a fresh-spirited, good natured, undertaking character, with a good deal of humour: An "abegava catu" [Tupi: good man] as say the Indians. How happy I would have been, when running with him up and down the Uaupès⁵ etc. Now I beg you to inform him of the following. I have quite finished my "Beiträge [German: contributions] to the Ethnogr[aphy] of Brazil["]⁶. 36 sheets are printed, I think the whole shall go fill to 44 or 45. It belongs to my vocabularies, which serve as a pièce justificative [French: supporting document]. If Mr. Spruce writes his travels, which will be a most eminent book, superseding in many things my accounts of the Amazonas-region. I visited only 11 months, he may be sure, that I do neither envoy [sic] his literary fame nor fear his critic. But I wished to know two things. 1 o Shall his vocabularies be much more complete as those of Mr. Wallace, or not; [2] and in the first case would he not publish them separate ? as a book ? a traité [French: treatise] ? In this case I would perhaps procede [sic] in making to him a proposition. 2o When I have finished my ethnographical task, I shall work up the Palmae (after Eriocauleae) in the Fl[ora]. Bras[iliensis]⁷, and for this monograph I wish very much to receive his memorandum, and if possible specimens for completion of my material. Knows he the gardeners Wallis⁸ successes on the Puruz⁹[sic] and Rio Branco¹⁰? I have only letters, no plants, from him. On these two points I request Your friendly comunication with Mr. Spruce. Then I beg you to subscribe with him for a good set of his plants, both mosses and others, because I wish to have in my herb[arium]. so much representatives of his enlightened and strong exertions as possible. I have not had leisure for working up my own collections made in 4 years. So he also shall not have it for the harvest of 10 years, and I must for his own sake wish, that he could invest other botanists with describing part of his richess [sic]. Therefore it seems convenient to offer to him also a part in the Flor[a]. Bras[iliensis]., which shall, as I presume [3] from Emperor D[om]. Pedro[’]s¹¹ "amiable disposition" be continued as far as I may be in the position of working on. The Rubiaceae, Euphorb[iaceae]., Compositae ought to be worked out, also the plantae officinales¹², of which still 40-50 plates remaine unpublished on stone. Pray confer about this matter with good Mr. Spruce. Say [to] him also that I am very thankful for his friendly disposition towards me on account of ^about the Herbar[ium]. Palm[ae]¹². I see with pleasure, that Mr. Spr[uce]. will interest ^win Mr. Bates¹³ for a translation of my travel; but I think that it is rather to[o] late. It is singular, that in all portug[uese]. relations on the Uaupès I find never the name of Panuré¹⁴. Where lays it? And how proceeded Spruce to Tarapoto¹⁵?

Now I must, after so much business, speek [sic] about your brother and his amiable Lady! For saying the truth, I distrusted to myself, that, if beginning my letter with her lovely appearance I would not come to another object. In the evening I arrived in Munich from Brückenau with my daughter Ernestine, I found a carte ^{de visite16} of your worthy¹⁷ [4] brother¹⁸, and the next morning my first wake was to see him in his hotel. He was already out of doors, but came after midday for a moment with his lady. Great was my satisfaction of getting acquainted with him, but he was in [a] hurry and we also [were] not in quiet disposition for receiving this amiable couple with all attention, part of my family being at Schlehdorf and the house derangé [French: disorganised], without domestics. The beautiful sister in law of my excellent friend Daniel¹⁹ requested some introductions for their way in the alps and I gave a billet²⁰ for Mr Weisshaupt²¹[sic], the Director of the Salt-Mines at Berchtesgaden. I would know how this master of Gnomes did honour to the words of one who studied 50 years ago Chemistry with him at Prof. Hildebrandt²². By all means I wish to be kindly remembered to your brother & and [sic] that you bring them over once to Schlehdorf where we will enjoy of their company at ease, — I received also, very wellcome²³, the sample of Mello[’]s²⁴ Myroxylon & I am thankful for it. How is this D^r Mello? — Hanislás [Ladislau] Netto, Dir[ector]. of the Mus[eum]. [of] Nat[ural]. Hist[ory]. Rio de Jan[eir]^o. has announced [to] me his visit [at the] end of November. — Now the paper is at end — my grateful feeling for you not. Fare well and continue to love[.]

Your old friend | Martius [signature]

Charles desires to be remembered friendly to you, and says that from the College of Chemistry in the next time a large box goes to Berlin. If you have some plants or prints for me, it can go with it.²⁵