Aimé BONPLAND (1773-1858), botanist and explorer, explored S - Lot 12

Lot n° 12
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Result : 6 700EUR
Aimé BONPLAND (1773-1858), botanist and explorer, explored S - Lot 12
Aimé BONPLAND (1773-1858), botanist and explorer, explored South America from 1799 to 1804 with Humboldt. Autograph letter signed to botanist Alire Raffeneau-Delile (1778-1850), 8 pp. in-4. Le Havre, November 19-22, 1816. Very long and beautiful letter, in particular on HUMBOLDT and KUNTH, the publication of his works and the final preparations for his great voyage to South America. He had learned that Humboldt wanted to come to Le Havre to bid him farewell "but also to ask me for all the Melastomes and Nheria that I am taking with me to follow my work, as well as several plants that he and Kunth find lacking in my herbarium that I left them without reserving a single sample [the German botanist Karl Sigismond Kunth (1788-1850) devoted 24 years of his life to classifying and determining the 70,000 samples brought back by Bonpland and Humboldt]. It's my little herbarium that I'm so fond of [...]. I was about to write to you when I saw Kunth enter, and without saying a word to me, he handed me a letter from Humboldt, which contained one for the Count of Avanjo in Brazil. I read Humboldt's letter, which mentioned you and your desire to come to Le Havre [...]". He recalls their memories, evoking the ruin caused by the publication of his work [Description des plantes rares cultivées à Malmaison et à Navarre par Aimé Bonpland]. "If Prince Eugène had paid me the sum of 12,000 frs he legally owes me for the work, and the 2,000 frs spent on the service of his dear [mother Joséphine, at Malmaison], I wouldn't owe a penny to anyone, all the costs of my work would have been paid [...]. As for the botanical publications I told you about, they consisted of finishing the Malmaison work together and taking advantage of several new plants that I had already described and that I alone possess, either by making a second volume of Malmaison or by giving this work another title; the other publication, the most important one, was that of Rhewia and Melastoma. I was very keen on this one because each booklet of five plates brings in 300 fr. and Humboldt understood very well the impossibility I found myself in concerning these plants". Kunth came to see him in Le Havre to discuss the continuation of the publication, but there was a misunderstanding, and he was unable to give him what he thought he was coming for "for the excellent reason that the ship has been loaded for a month, that the hatches are closed, that we will leave with the first favorable wind that we have been waiting for for a month, and which should probably arrive at any moment, and finally because my 82 crates are forming the second plan in the calle and that there are four others above [...]. It is obvious that I am taking my Rhévia and Melastoma with me and that I will continue them there, given that I have repeated to Kunth that I consent to him publishing the continuation of this work with the plants he will obtain [...]". As soon as he arrives in America, he will herborize and begin a new work, for which he will send him a plan; he is counting on Kunth to keep him informed of scientific publications, and of his own publications, particularly on the plants of Egypt. "Tell me also how much a complete copy of the work on Egypt [Description de l'Égypte] would cost, because this work must be in all libraries, and it is certainly not yet in those of America [...]". He gives him lengthy instructions for the further publication of his works, inviting him to collate the copies carefully, and to check that the plates conform to the drawings. "REDOUTÉ told me he was in dispute with Soulange over 17 or 20 drawings at most due to him, and seemed to be asking me for these drawings. But I don't believe any of these complaints, firstly because you know how cunning he is for his own interests, and secondly because he is very good with Soulanges. Besides, the Malmaison drawings (of the work) have long been paid for; the Empress has told me a thousand times how she gives them to me, and if His Highness Prince Eugene keeps my 14,000, I won't offer him the original drawings with the text on vellum that I intended to give him [...]". Bonpland took up his pen again the following day and added 3 new pages to his letter, giving further instructions for the printing of his work on Malmaison, but above all asking him to obtain a large quantity of seeds from various suppliers, in particular the Muséum; to do this, he asked him to write to Thouin. "1° Muséum seeds to ask Mr (Jean?) for me. These seeds must be all useful plants. For example, seeds of all possible species of green trees.
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