Dr Thomas Anderson correspondence and papers

This material is held atRoyal Botanic Garden Edinburgh Archives

  • Reference
    • GB 235 ADT
  • Dates of Creation
    • 1859 - 1868
  • Name of Creator
  • Language of Material
    • English
  • Physical Description
    • 2 boxes, c.15cm containing 5 albums of letters

Scope and Content

GB 235 ADT/1 - 100 letters from J.D. Hooker to Thomas Anderson, July 1860-December 1867
GB 235 ADT/2 - 10 letters from J.D. Hooker to Thomas Anderson, March-July 1868
GB 235 ADT/3 - 171 letters from various correspondents to Thomas Anderson, December 1861-October 1867
1-13 - A.A. Black
14-15 - W.H. Harvey
16 - J.S. Henslow
17-22 - H. Cruger
23-28 - W.J. Hooker
29 - Ph. Parlatore
30-32 - M. Wichura
33-35 - Asa Gray
36-42 - John Hutton Balfour
43 - William Jameson
44-45 - John Hutton Balfour
46-73 - R. Henry Beddome
74-75 - George Bentham
76-77 - Binnendijk
78-79 - A. Braun
80-81 - R. Caspary
82-84 - Hugh Cleghorn
85 - N.A. Dalzell
86-87 - Joseph Decaisne
88-90 - Sir William Denison
91 - Michael Pakenham Edgeworth
92 - H.R. Goppert
96 - G.R. Gray
97-108 - Daniel Hanbury
109-110 - H.F. Hancs
111 - W.B. Hemsley
112-113 - William Hillebrand
114 - Walter Hill
115 - A. Henry to Hooker
116-119 - R. Lenormond (Vire)
120 - James McGibbon
121-140 - Alexander Caroll Maingay
141 - Charles James Meller
142-143 - Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel
144 - Grindlay & Co.
145-146 - Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel
147-152 - Charles Moore
153 - Thomas Moore
154-171 - Ferdinand von Mueller
GB 235 ADT/4 - 84 letters from various correspondents to Thomas Anderson, April 1861-December 1867
172-173 - Thomas Dillon
174-180 - J.E. Dury
181 - W. van Gorkom
182 - W.H. Harvey to Hooker
183-184 - A. Landon
185 - J. Nolischlau
186-189 - William Graham McIvor
190-194 - Sir Clements Robert Markham
195 - M. Wolo to J.E. Teysmann
196-200 - J.E. Teysmann
201-207 - Thomas Thomson
208-242 - G.H.K. Thwaites
243-246 - Todaro Agostino
247-248 - John S. Tyerman
249-250 - Robert Wight
251 - William Graham McIvor to Robert Wight
252-253 - Robert Wight
254 - Dr Thomas Anderson to Mr Scott (draft)
255 - Dr Thomas Anderson to Mr W. Grey (Secretary to the Govt of India) (draft)
ADT/5
'Cinchona Reports': bound album of letters and official papers (mainly Indian Government) all relating to economic plants, particularly Cinchona, 1859-1864. includes mention of Cleghorn.

Administrative / Biographical History

Born Edinburgh 1832; died Edinburgh 1870.
After graduating with an MD at the University of Edinburgh, Thomas Anderson entered the East India Company Bengal medical service in 1854, serving in the North West Provinces and then Lucknow (he was present at the time of the Siege). He returned to Calcutta in 1858 as garrison assistant surgeon but ill health sent him back to Britain. He had developed an interest in botany at university and whilst in India studied the local flora and collected plants in the Himalayas. During his journey back to Britain he stayed briefly in Aden where his collections formed the basis of ‘Florula Adenensis’, a supplement to the Journal of The Linnean Society. Anderson returned to India in 1860 and took temporary charge of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, becoming superintendent in 1861, a post he held until 1868. In 1861 he went to Java to bring back plants and seeds of Cinchona calisaya a source of quinine for new plantations in India. He was invalided back to Britain in 1869, resuming his research on Indian flora, but died the following year from a liver complaint.
Sources: DNB; Desmond's Dictionary; Gard Chron 1870, Jnl Bot 1870
by D.W.

Access Information

Collection is open to researchers by appointment, see (right click, open link in new tab:) https://www.rbge.org.uk/science-and-conservation/library-and-archives/visiting-the-library/

Note

Born Edinburgh 1832; died Edinburgh 1870.
After graduating with an MD at the University of Edinburgh, Thomas Anderson entered the East India Company Bengal medical service in 1854, serving in the North West Provinces and then Lucknow (he was present at the time of the Siege). He returned to Calcutta in 1858 as garrison assistant surgeon but ill health sent him back to Britain. He had developed an interest in botany at university and whilst in India studied the local flora and collected plants in the Himalayas. During his journey back to Britain he stayed briefly in Aden where his collections formed the basis of ‘Florula Adenensis’, a supplement to the Journal of The Linnean Society. Anderson returned to India in 1860 and took temporary charge of the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta, becoming superintendent in 1861, a post he held until 1868. In 1861 he went to Java to bring back plants and seeds of Cinchona calisaya a source of quinine for new plantations in India. He was invalided back to Britain in 1869, resuming his research on Indian flora, but died the following year from a liver complaint.
Sources: DNB; Desmond's Dictionary; Gard Chron 1870, Jnl Bot 1870
by D.W.

ADT/3, ADT/4 and ADT/5 were in flood damaged box sent to Harwell in July 2021 - box replaced, contents were dried and look undamaged by water.

Other Finding Aids

Bound volumes have indices at their fronts.

Conditions Governing Use

Permission required from RBGE.

Additional Information

published

Partial

GB 235 ADT

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