163 



only a few of Cross's Uevea seedling's were preserved, there must 

 be by this time a considerable number of trees growing in Eastern 

 plantations w^hich are directly descended from the survivors of this 

 consignment.' The bulk of our Eastern Heveas descends of 

 course of Wickham's plants, distributed by Kew. 



^^ Studying the variability of our Eastern Heveas, I take much 

 interest in the history of the old introductions. We have in the 

 garden here two trees marked 1875, and received from Kew. It is 

 possible that the date is incorrect, and that it ought to be 1876. 

 Could you perhaps find in your archives in which year Kew sent 

 its first Hevea plants to Buitenzorg and to which shipment they 

 belonged, to Cross's^ Wickham's or Collins's? 



'' Could you give me some information about the places where 

 Cross and where Collins gathered their seeds? 



^^ Faithfully yours, 



^' (Signed) P* J. S. Ceamer, 

 ^^ Chief of Division for Plant Breeding.'^ 



iC 



Poyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, 



'^ April 17th, 1914. 



■'' Sir, — In reply to your letter No. 134 V. 0. G., dated Buiten- 

 zorg, March 6th, 1914, I beg to inform you that in our Outwards 

 Records there is an entry dated August 30th, 1876, which states 

 that 18 Hevea hrasiliensis plants were included in a Wardian case 

 that day despatched to Dr. SehefPer, Buitenzorg. These 18 plants 

 wore raised from 70,000 seeds collected bv Mr. Wickham in March, 

 1876, in the ^ Ciringals of the Rio Tapajos,' as staled in a letter 

 from Mr. Wickham to Dr. Hooker, dated March 6th, 1876. They 

 were received at Kew on June 14th, 1876. 



On September 22nd, 1877, another lot of plants was despatched 

 to Dr. Scheffer, and among them were four more plants raised from 

 this lot of Hevea seeds received from Mr. WickhaiD. 



^^ 2- It is certain that your Buitenzorg plants, dated 1876, 



a 



Mr 



Hooker 



the decision on the part of th^e Secretary oi Stat 



Mr. Cross to the Amazon to collect Hevea seeds 



until March, 1876. It was communicated to I 



on April 1st, 1876, and we know from what is said by Sir Clements 



Markham in his work on Peruvian Bark, pp. 458-460, and from 



Mr. Cross's own report that Mr. Cross collected his Hevea between 



Julv and October, 1876, in the neighbourhood 



Marajo Island. I do not find any reference to Mr. Cross having 

 sent or brought to Europe any seeds of Hevea hrasiliensis. In 

 his report he speaks of collecting plants, not seeds, 6.^., on 

 August 7th and August 10th, 1876, he collected, he tells us, about 

 2000 in all. AVlien he arrived at Liverpool on November 22nd, 



1876, he says that there were fully 1000 plants of Para rubber. 

 Hevea brasiliensis, in the best condition. He also says that they 

 w^ere deposited at Kew early on the morning of November 23rd 



(Crdss, Report, p. 15), 



*' The entry at Kew, which relates to this transaction, states that 



M 



B 2 



