20 THE JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
he best account of Forbes is that in Bretschneider’s invalu- 
er History of European Researches in China —a veritable 
treasure- fads of Saeromtion on all that concerns Chinese botany. 
From this we learn, on Forbes’s own authority, that he went to 
China as an attaché of Mr. Reed, the American shogreamags wend 
arriving at Hong Kong in November, 1857, at which time he was 
one of the largest commercial houses in China; at the same time 
ind cultivated other cect notably those of the local branch of 
oyal Asiatic Society, in the permanent establishment of 
vrhick in Shanghai, where he resided, he took a prominent part. 
His services as Swedish Consul-General in Shanghai were recog- 
nized by the bestowal of a Knight-Commandership of the Swedish 
noe Order of Wasa. 
1869 Forbes resolved to take up the study of plants, and 
wrote to. Hance asking how he might best set about it. Hance 
voplied in a letter of “fourteen closely-written pages, filled with 
most valuable hints as to books and methods of work... Thus began 
I never met i Forbes, in the memoir quoted,* “ except 
in 1874 during a visit of two days at his house, we seemed in the 
course of s to draw very close together, and on m arture 
intendent of the Hong Kong Garden, from whom as well as from 
ance he received many specimens, which formed the foundation 
of his herbarium. He himself began to collect in 1872, being 
nine by his wife, after whom Adenophora Isabelle Hemsl. is 
amed. = 1875, in which year he became a Fellow of the Lin- 
to be ae presenting in return for this service about three 
hundred specimens to the National Herbarium ; another collec- 
place he made ths us aggpeomage of Maximowicz, jetta whom he 
sedeiied so 
Forbes shatnad to China in 1877, and from that year until 
his spare time 
to botanical pursuits. He abandoned his nese commercial 
career in 1881, and in 1882 settled in England where he lived 
until 1886. During this period he was a frequent visitor to the 
* Journ. Bot. 1887, 1- a a deh acy 
to Forbes’s own work, 2 peeking’ ins much information as 
