WCP6708

[1]

Botanic Gardens

Capetown

Feb. 27. 1884.

Sir Jos D. Hooker K S. F. &c.

My dear Sir Joseph¹,

I have your letter of 27th Wed[?] respecting the proposals of Miss Demmler for collecting plants at Barkly. Anything I can do for her will be gladly done. I fear however the immediate neighbourhood of Barkly is not promising except perhaps to a trained collector who knows what to [2] pass by and what to preserve. I have long been trying to secure some sort of collection in the Malutis² — the highest part of Basutuland³ wh[ich] was only curiously[?] [illeg.] by Cooper in its lower levels. That district and the unexplored "Mont-aux Sources⁴" of the French missionaries is almost the only unreaped virgin harvest[?] left us.

One of our young friends, W. Tysors[?] stationer at Kokstadt[sic] in Susualand[sic] East, is just now the best placed man for getting novelties. His station is far further E & N than the Rev. R [3] Baur's place at Bazija beyond the Bashee. I would suggest a tentative line from yourself: He is open to the little feeling of gratification that comes of being noticed, and his specimens are superb.

The Neibarium Gap. S.S. is slowly grinding on. I have gone painfully through the immense many duplicate Iridere[?], sorted and mounted, and laid out ^{some of} everything like a type sp.[?] est.[?] was not insect eaten. Enclosed is the parcel ticket for the package resulting: it is too bulky for the Colonial Secretary's bag. I sincerely hope some of the contents will be useful to Mr. Bohn's[?] promised [4] volume. It would be possible to send to view our mounted sets of anything in course of working up at Kew⁵.

Bohn[?] is hard at work on the[?] [illeg.] Orchids. His possible concentration is an enviable advantage. Here one has to do many things of many sorts — & I don't k quite know if I am not more of a seedsman & a book-keeper, if[?] I am anything else. However, the theory of life is to take the nearest duty & knock it off sans grumbling.

By Colonial Office you will have a little tin case containing a dozen or more Lachenalia bulbs and roots of a very pretty Anthericum⁶ wh[ich] I sincerely hope will arrive in good condition.Exsiccate of both are in the red parcel at bottom and

[5] also three garden raised plants about which I am ignorant or very uncertain.

Many thanks for the European [illeg.] adviser: They will probably be here this week. I have a large Europ. collection mainly from the intercourse with the Zurich Polytechnicum Nerb[?] under the late Dr. O. Neer[?] also Nater's Rijo's and several Hungarian sets amounting to 5500 mounted Specimens. They are only partly laid in genus covers, and the completion of that work will enable me to intercalate the large contribution from Kew. I have a kind note from Dr Dyer to wh[ich] at present there is not time to reply. I still however keep a lookout for the grooved poison stones and any good arrow heads [6] which may be useful for the museum as he suggests.

To Mr Wallace I will send a little seed of Cape bulbous things[?] as soon as my hands are free.

With my compliments | I remain, | My dear Sir Joseph | Yours obediently | P. MacOwan⁷ [signature]