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Kew Herbarium
dried leaf one guinea." From Bristol Dec. 8, 1846 he wrote a very discouraging letter concerning his long illness: "I have now the mortification to find myself with a broken and ruined constitution as a reward for endeavoring to promote Science" But he improved rapidly after this and from Bristol on Jan. 14, 1847 acknowledged Sir William's kind congratulations on his marriage! The first botanist to discover the Victoria regia was Haenke (cf. Annales des Sciences Naturelles, Ser. 2, vol. 13, p. 55, 1840). This first discovery was referred to by Hooker in his folio maximo
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Nov. 7, 1905.
on "Victoria regia", London, 1851. Haenke's discovery was about 1801. Many attempts were made to introduce it but failed. Bridge's seeds (Aug. 1846) germinated but they perished (Dec. 1846). Introduced successfully by Dr. Hugh Rodie and Mr. Lachie [?] of George Town, Demerara, in 1849. Bridges returned to Chili via Panama in 1847. (Such his intention acc. to the Jan. 14, 1847 letter). I do not seem to find another letter between this time and the period of his settling down in California. There appears to be but one California letter. It is here transcribed: San Francisco, May 5, 1858. Sir W.J. Hooker Royal Gardens, Kew. -over-
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